The Sharks confirmed the signing of Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth on Thursday.
This is the latest mega-deal for the Durban franchise, with the 30-year-old poised to join Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and World Cup-winning teammates Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi, Sbu Nkosi, and Thomas du Toit in Toulon.
Etzebeth has been at Toulon since 2019, but his return to South Africa is as high-profile as they get and will sting Stormers and Western Province fans.
As with Kolisi, Etzebeth spent the majority of his senior career with WP, where he played professionally from 2012 to 2019, when he moved to France.
The Sharks, on the other hand, benefit from the sponsorship of American conglomerate MVM Holdings and have been able to recruit world-class players to Kings Park.
Despite their financial flow issues, the Sharks are currently ninth in the combined United Rugby Championship table, while the Stormers are seventh.
