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.<\/p>\n
Sharks make double signing as duo pen long-term deals<\/p>\n
South African side Sharks<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0that the duo were set to join the 2024 EPRC Challenge Cup winners.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Curtis Langdon commits to Northampton Saints<\/p>\n England international Curtis Langdon becomes the latest Northampton Saints<\/a> 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\u2019s Gardens.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Investec Champions Cup final defeat to Bordeaux-Begles.<\/p>\n Commenting on his new deal, Langdon said: \u201cMentally, this season has been one of the toughest of my career as I\u2019ve worked through my first surgery,\u201d he said. \u201cHaving to stay patient day\u2011to\u2011day has been challenging, but I\u2019m getting there now, and I\u2019m really looking forward to contributing towards the back end of the season.<\/p>\n France v Ireland prediction: Les Bleus to \u2018kick off with a bang\u2019 as \u2018Paris factor\u2019 drives Antoine Dupont\u2019s men to statement victory<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe support the Club has shown me throughout my recovery \u2013 especially from our Head of Medical, Matt Lee \u2013 has been outstanding, and has helped me push through the difficult moments.<\/p>\n \u201cStaying 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\u2019t been able to take the field.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI really believe this squad has huge potential and can win trophies, and it\u2019s an environment everyone wants to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe last game I played was for England, and I\u2019ll 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\u2019t wait to get back out there with the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n Saints director of rugby, Phil Dowson, said: \u201cCurt has had an enormous impact at Saints. He\u2019s an outstanding talent, and he\u2019s worked very hard over the last couple of years to put himself back into international contention.<\/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 \u201cHis 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\u2011class hooker.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a terrific character and he\u2019s not afraid to speak his mind, which is exactly what we want.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously we\u2019ve really missed him this season, but hopefully it won\u2019t be too long before we see him back out there charging around in a Saints jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulster sign Ben Donnell<\/p>\n URC<\/a> outfit Ulster have tied down Cardiff forward Ben Donnell on a three-year deal from the start of next season.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n