Springbok World Cup winner Marco van Staden and Mpilo Gumede have recommitted their future to the Bulls, former Junior Wallaby Jamie Clark has joined PREM outfit Newcastle Red Bulls on a short-term deal, and Leinster look to former players amid front-row injury crisis.<\/p>\n
Check out our latest transfer news and rumours update:<\/p>\n
Bok among double Bulls re-signing<\/p>\n
The Bulls<\/a> have secured the long-term futures of forward duo Van Staden ando Gumede, with the pair signing until 2028 and 2029, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n Their re-signings come amid a wave of exits from Loftus Versfeld, with David Kriel and Ruan Nortje confirmed to be headed out the exit door<\/a> at the end of the season.<\/p>\n Versatile forward Van Staden, who can play both hooker and back-row, has spent the bulk of his playing career with the Bulls, making 103 senior appearances for the club since his debut in 2017. He also earned his first Springboks cap that season, and has since added a further 33 Test caps to his collection.<\/p>\n In his international career, he has also won one World Cup and back-to-back Rugby Championship titles.<\/p>\n Fellow forward Gumede, who represented the Junior Boks, has quickly become a key man for the Bulls since joining from the Sharks in 2023\/24.<\/p>\n To date, the 25-year-old has made 30 appearances for the Pretoria-based outfit, including nine this campaign in all competitions.<\/p>\n Commenting on their re-signings, Bulls CEO, Edgar Rathbone, said: \u201cThere has been some outside noise suggesting we are a selling club, but the reality inside Loftus is very different.<\/p>\n EPCR Challenge Cup Team of the Week: Forgotten England back \u2018sends Borthwick a message\u2019 with \u2018ice-cold\u2019 display while Ireland hopeful \u2018the pick of the bunch\u2019 in Ulster win<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cRetaining a world-class veteran like Marco and a generational talent like Mpilo is a clear signal of our stability and our ambition. We aren\u2019t just building for next week; we are securing the spine of this team for the next two to three years.<\/p>\n \u201cThese men believe in the vision Johan Ackermann is implementing, and we are proud that they see Loftus as the best place to achieve their Springbok and club ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n Newcastle Red Bulls bolster squad as Jamie Clark pens short-term deal<\/p>\n Former Junior Wallaby prop Clark will take his services to Kingston Park for the rest of the season, after signing a short-term deal with Newcastle Red Bulls.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n He becomes the latest player to arrive in the English North East in the past few weeks, with Josh Hodge joining the club early ahead of an initially proposed switch at the end of the season.<\/p>\n The 23-year-old loosehead joins Newcastle from Irish side Old Wesley, who compete in the All-Ireland Leagues (AIL), but has had previous spells with the NSW Waratahs and Leinster A.\u00a0<\/p>\n Commenting on his move to the Red Bulls, Clark said: \u201cI\u2019m here until the end of the season, and I\u2019m just keen to make the most of the opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing in an environment like this and learning from all the players and coaches around me, it\u2019ll be a great experience and I\u2019m determined to make the most of it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super-excited about the whole thing, and it\u2019s always been a dream to go into that pro rugby environment and test myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Newcastle sporting general manager, Neil McIlroy, added: \u201cWe\u2019re glad to be able to bring Jamie in for the remainder of this season, having had our front-row resources pushed to the limit with injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has shown great promise while playing in Ireland, and we are keen to evaluate his credentials with a view to possibly offering him a place in our squad in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cJamie has made a positive first impression having arrived last week, and we look forward to working with him during the run-in to our campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n Investec Champions Cup semi-finals: Dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage confirmed<\/a><\/p>\n Clark has already begun training with the Red Bulls squad and comes straight into contention for their PREM clash with Leicester Tigers this weekend.<\/p>\n Leinster turn to former players amid front-row injury crisis<\/p>\n Irish juggernauts Leinster<\/a> are set to launch plays for former duo Ed Byrne and Peter Dooley, according to reports from RugbyPass<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The reported interest comes with Leo Cullen\u2019s side in the midst of a major injury crisis at loosehead, with Jack Boyle and Paddy McCarthy remaining sidelined long-term, Andrew Porter struggling to return to full fitness after making his long-awaited comeback in recent weeks.<\/p>\n And now,\u00a0 Alex Usanov also appears to have picked up a knock after coming off just three minutes into their win over Sale Sharks in Saturday\u2019s Investec Champions Cup quarter-final.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something that\u2019ll probably be rattling around my head for the next few days,\u201d Cullen told the media on Saturday. \u201cIt might give some younger guys an opportunity, which is good, but it\u2019s a tricky time.\u201d<\/p>\n Usanov\u2019s knock leaves Leinster with just one fit loosehead prop on their books, in the form of Jerry Cahir, but they could look to bring in former players Byrne and Dooley to ease their concerns.<\/p>\n Cardiff man Byrne made 106 appearances for Leinster during his stint in the Irish capital, and he is also currently making a return to full fitness after a lengthy lay-off with a calf injury, and a short-term move back to the club could give him precious minutes.<\/p>\n Dooley, who also tallied over 100 appearances for the province before heading to Connacht, is also being touted with a return to Dublin at the end of the current season, however, given their injury crisis could join sooner than first expected.<\/p>\n