Veteran tighthead Jannie du Plessis has been confirmed as one of 10 Lions props for next year’s Vodacom Super Rugby season.

Du Plessis and Western Province prop Carlu Sadie have been linked with moves to the Johannesburg-based franchise and on Monday this was confirmed.

Du Plessis returns to South Africa for the first time since joining French club Montpellier in 2015.

According to a release published on the Lions’ website, the 37-year-old Du Plessis ‘is ecstatic to see out his long and illustrious career at the Lions’.

Sadie returns to the Lions set-up having played for them in the 2019 Super Rugby tournament on a loan deal, before going back to Western Province for the Currie Cup. Sadie also played for French club Stade Français as medical joker on a short-term deal for the duration of the World Cup.

Lions props – Jannie du Plessis, Carlu Sadie, Keagan Glade, Johannes Jonker, Leo Kruger, Nathan McBeth, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Sti Sithole, Dylan Smith, Frans van Wyk.

Photo: Lions Rugby