Lions 'loan' prop to Sharks

TRANSFER NEWS: The Sharks have lured back one of their former stalwarts from the Lions.

The Sharks revealed on their social media platforms that veteran prop Wiehahn Herbst has joined the Durban-based franchise a 'short-term' deal.

The arrival of Herbst comes just days before the Sharks travel to Cape Town to take on the Springbok-laden Stormers in the opening round of the Rainbow Cup SA competition.

Herbst, 32, played 120-odd games for the Sharks between 2009 and 2014 - before moving to Irish province Ulster, where he made 80 appearances.

He returned to South Africa in 2019, playing 20-odd games for the Bulls in Pretoria, before moving south across the Jukskei to the Lions last year.

Having made only a handful of appearances for the Ellis Park-based franchise during the COVID-19-impacted period, he returned to Durban.

The exact length of his stay at the Sharks has not been confirmed.

The Sharks have been desperate to find a suitable backup tighthead prop to Springbok Thomas du Toit.

Herbst will play a key role against a Stormers team that features Springbok Steven Kitshoff - who took over the Cape Town outfit's captaincy in the wake of the departure of Springbok skipper Siyamthanda Kolisi, now playing for the Sharks.