The 29-year-old lock, Reniel Hugo, returned to the Toyota Cheetahs following a stint in Japan.

Hugo left the Toyota Cheetahs in 2018 to join the Japanese Top League club, Toyota Verblitz, but enjoyed limited game time at the team.

Hugo won the Currie Cup with the Cheetahs and was one of the leading players during the team's inaugural Guinness PRO14 season.

Hugo played his Western Province at age-group level, and following school, he represented both the University of Stellenbosch Maties and the University of Pretoria Tuks in the Varsity Cup from 2010 to 2015.

He has also represented both Western Province and the Blue Bulls at senior level.

Hugo previously joined the Free State in 2015 and represented the team in various competitions.

Hugo says that he is all too happy to return to Bloemfontein and he looks forward to playing alongside Carl Wegner again.