Kings utility back Siviwe 'Shakes' Soyizwapi has joined the Stormers on a loan deal.

The Cape franchise has a back-three crisis, with Cheslin Kolbe out until mid-March with a knee injury and Jaco Taute unlikely to play against the Lions on Saturday. Taute's knee flared up last week and he was a late withdrawal from the starting XV that played against Boland. The Stormers have also lost wingers Bryan Habana and Gerhard van den Heever to overseas clubs.

This has forced coach Allister Coetzee to draft in Soyizwapi, who can play fullback or wing. He made his Super Rugby debut for the Kings in Canberra last year, was the top try-scorer for the EP U21 side, and also played five matches for EP in the Currie Cup First Division.

EP Rugby CEO Charl Crous said Soyizwapi’s call-up showed that EP were producing top quality talent and that EP Rugby was committed to its promise of identifying opportunities for its talented players to get Super Rugby experience ahead of the team’s re-inclusion into the competition in 2016.

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