Schalk Ferreira

The Southern Kings continued their recruitment drive ahead of their re-entry into Super Rugby next year.

Veteran prop Schalk Ferreira, who played Super Rugby for the Kings in 2013, is the latest recruit for the Port Elizabeth-based franchise.

He will be returning to PE on a 2-year contract and will join them ahead of the Eastern Province Kings’ Currie Cup campaign that gets underway in August.

The 31-year-old Ferreira – who also played for the DHL Stormers before moving to PE – has been playing for Toulouse in France since 2013.

The have recently also confirmed the signing of centre JP du Plessis and prop Basil Short.

This also follows the announcement of a loan agreement with the Blue Bulls for the services of Jacques “Vleis” Engelbrecht to join the squad for the Currie Cup season, as well as the signing until 2016 of young prop Nicolaas van Dyk.

Du Plessis and Short are already taking part in a training.

The 24-year-old Du Plessis, who attended Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, played for the WP Craven Week and SA Schools teams in 2010 before heading to Sydney where he linked up with Rugby League side, the Sydney Roosters.

He later returned to Rugby Union, signing for the Melbourne Rebels and making his debut in Super Rugby against the Hurricanes.

He then played for the DHL Stormers, Montpellier in France and the Toyota Cheetahs. In France, Montpellier coach Fabian Galthie lined Du Plessis up to quality for the French national team before a knee injury scuppered those plans.

Du Plessis returned to South Africa to play for the Cheetahs and will be keen to make an impact at his preferred position of outside centre for the Southern Kings.

The 24-year-old Short, who attended Standerton High School, joins the Kings from the Blue Bulls after making his 1st-class debut in the Vodacom Cup in 2012.

He represented the Blue Bulls Under 21 side which won the provincial championship in 2011 and 2012, and also claimed a winner’s medal with Tuks in the Varsity Cup tournament from 2012 to 2014.

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