South Africa World Cup-winning back JP Pietersen will replace injured scrum-half Ruan Pienaar for home Rugby Championship Tests against Australia and New Zealand, it was announced Sunday.
Pietersen, who can operate on the right wing or at outside centre, has been playing in Japan and was unavailable for the first four southern hemisphere championship matches.
“JP has always been part of our plans and did very well in June playing at outside centre,” Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer said in a statement.
“We have got two scrum-halves in Francois Hougaard and Cobus Reinach and decided it would be better to bring in an outside back.”
Pienaar retired hurt during a 14-10 defeat by New Zealand in Wellington this weekend and a Monday scan will determine the extent of his knee ligament injury.
Pietersen, who played on the right wing when South Africa defeated England 15-6 to win the 2007 World Cup, joins a 30-man squad in Cape Town next Sunday.
The Springboks face the Australian Wallabies on September 27 at Newlands in Cape Town and the New Zealand All Blacks on October 4 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
Defending champions New Zealand top the table with 16 points, South Africa and Australia have 10 each and Argentina three.