Cape Town - Former Springbok loose forward Ryan Kankowski will join the Golden Lions for the 2017 Currie Cup tournament, the Rapport newspaper indicates.
The Afrikaans weekly reported on Sunday that Kankowski will drafted into the Lions squad to provide leadership for the younger loose forwards in the squad.
The Lions will be without Springboks Warren Whiteley and Jaco Kriel, who will join Japanese clubs after the Rugby Championship.
They will also be without stalwart Warwick Tecklenburg, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
The 31-year-old Kankowski, who played 20 Tests for the Boks between 2007 and 2012, is contracted to the Johannnesburg union for the duration of the Currie Cup and it is unclear whether his contract will be extended at a later stage.
Kankowski last played Currie Cup rugby for the Sharks in 2015 and has represented Japanese outfit Toyota Industries Shuttles since 2013.
The Lions are also yet to announce who will replace head coach Johan Ackermann, who will join English club Gloucester after this year’s Super Rugby competition.