The Sharks have bolstered their 2026/27 squad with two new faces, Curtis Langdon becomes the latest England international to commit to Northampton Saints and Ulster have signed Irish-qualified forward Ben Donnell.
Sharks make double signing as duo pen long-term deals
South African side Sharks have signed duo Gianni Lombard and Cameron Dawson until the end of 2029, joining the likes of Thomas du Toit in heading to the club for next season.
Fly-half Lombard becomes the latest Lion to swap Johannesburg for Durban in the process, while prop Dawson makes a permanent move from the Cheetahs. Their moves follow initial reports from Rapport that the duo were set to join the 2024 EPRC Challenge Cup winners.
Lombard made his debut for the Lions in 2018 during their stint in Super Rugby, and has since gone on to make 54 appearances for the club in the eight years since. He also had a brief spell in Japan, making four appearances for Red Hurricanes Osaka, and also featured for the select South Africa XV in 2022.
Dawson also made his Cheetahs debut in Super Rugby unlocked back in 2020, but has already made two appearances for the Sharks this season after initially joining as injury cover.
Curtis Langdon commits to Northampton Saints
England international Curtis Langdon becomes the latest Northampton Saints star to commit his future to the club, following the likes of Fraser Dingwall, Fin Smith, Josh Kemeny and Alex Coles in extending his time at Franklin’s Gardens.
The 28-year-old hooker, who has yet to feature this season after undergoing shoulder surgery in the summer, joined the Saints ahead of the 2023/24 season and has made 50 appearances to date. In that time, he has also helped win one PREM Rugby title and featured in last year’s Investec Champions Cup final defeat to Bordeaux-Begles.
Commenting on his new deal, Langdon said: “Mentally, this season has been one of the toughest of my career as I’ve worked through my first surgery,” he said. “Having to stay patient day‑to‑day has been challenging, but I’m getting there now, and I’m really looking forward to contributing towards the back end of the season.
“The support the Club has shown me throughout my recovery – especially from our Head of Medical, Matt Lee – has been outstanding, and has helped me push through the difficult moments.
“Staying positive during rehab has also been so much easier because of how well the team has been playing. Being around the lads and the atmosphere at the Club has been a huge lift, even when I haven’t been able to take the field.
“The past couple of years at Saints have been incredible, and that made the decision to stay an easy one. Winning the PREM title and reaching the Champions Cup Final last season are memories I’ll never forget. But most importantly, I love playing with this special group of players, for this coaching group, for this town, and for our supporters.
“I really believe this squad has huge potential and can win trophies, and it’s an environment everyone wants to be a part of.”
“The last game I played was for England, and I’ll be doing everything I can to be back in that shirt. But first and foremost, my goal is to perform for Saints and contribute as much as I can to us winning trophies. I can’t wait to get back out there with the boys.”
Saints director of rugby, Phil Dowson, said: “Curt has had an enormous impact at Saints. He’s an outstanding talent, and he’s worked very hard over the last couple of years to put himself back into international contention.
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“His physicality, his ability to break a game open, his offloading skills, and his knack for being in the right place at the right time because he reads play so well make him a top‑class hooker.
“He’s naturally combative, and brings an edge in his physicality as well as adding a huge amount of energy to the group. Curtis is always competitive.
“He’s a terrific character and he’s not afraid to speak his mind, which is exactly what we want.
“Obviously we’ve really missed him this season, but hopefully it won’t be too long before we see him back out there charging around in a Saints jersey.”
Ulster sign Ben Donnell
URC outfit Ulster have tied down Cardiff forward Ben Donnell on a three-year deal from the start of next season.
The 25-year-old back-five forward, who previously played for PREM outfits London Irish and Gloucester before joining Cardiff, also qualifies to play for Ireland.
Commenting on joining Ulster, Donnell said: “I’m really pleased to be signing for Ulster Rugby. With my family roots in Belfast, it makes the move even more special for me.
“I am very excited by the opportunity to join a team that’s playing some fantastic rugby and are competing at the top end of the league.
“I know how tough Ulster are to play against, so I’m hugely motivated to come in, work hard, and add real value to a squad full of young talent and quality experience. I’m looking forward to getting started and pulling on the Ulster jersey.”
Ulster general manager, Rory Best, added: “We are very pleased to secure Ben’s signing for the next three years. He fits the profile of what we were searching for to add to our squad and the depth of our forward pack.
“He is at a good age, with valuable experience from London Irish, Gloucester and Cardiff and that will bolster our squad and help drive competition.
“Ben is a strong ball-carrier with the versatility to play in multiple positions, which is an important skillset to have in the modern game.”
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