The Vodacom Bulls have signed a Sharks prop ahead of Wilco Louw’s departure to the Stormers at the end of the season.
According to rappost, Mawande Mdanda will arrive at Loftus Versfeld on a two-year deal.
The 22-year-old has gained extensive experience training with a Springbok-studded Sharks squad, included Bok loosehead Ox Nche.
The 1.89m, 132kg former Maritzburg College front-rower joined the Bulls after school and featured for their successful junior teams in 2022.
It was during his time in Pretoria that he earned Junior Boks colours before he left to join the Sharks in 2024.
Mdanda will compete with Francois Klopper, Momay Smith and Jean Erasmus for the No 3 jersey.
Mdanda’s exit has triggered a knock-on effect in Durban, with the Sharks signing Nemo Roelofse from French club Perpignan.
Writing for the Sunday times Keohane says the Bulls’ 26-24 comeback win against Pau at the Stade du Hameau snapped a seven-match losing streak and reignited belief in a squad battered by form, criticism and recent humiliation.
Trailing 24-12 against a side sitting second on the French Top 14 log, the Bulls found character in the final 10 minutes and refused to fold in one of Europe’s most unforgiving venues.
Handré Pollard’s conversion shifted momentum and reminded everyone why, as Keohane writes, “when the big kicks need to be converted, he is the master off the kicking tee”.
The Bulls’ bench, long criticised, finally delivered. Ruan Nortje and Marco van Staden brought control and aggression, while Jeandre Rudolph embodied the fight.
“Rudolph, week after week, even as the Bulls stumbled, has been their most consistent carrier,” Keohane writes, praising his decisive breakdown steal to seal the win.
For Johan Ackermann, the victory offers belief rather than comfort. The challenge now is backing it up in Scotland, but in Pau the Bulls stopped apologising and showed they still carry the DNA to contend.
