Injury blow for Meyer's men

Western Province centre Juan de Jongh has been called up to the Springbok squad in the place of the injured JP Pietersen.

The Sharks wing, Pietersen, fractured his thumb in the Super Rugby Final in Hamilton on Saturday.

He underwent scans on Monday and will undergo surgery on Wednesday.

The normal recovery time for such an injury is six to eight weeks.

The 24-year-old De Jongh made his Springbok debut against Wales in 2010 and has 10 Test caps to his name, the last coming at the World Cup in New Zealand last year.

"We decided to pick Juan, as he provides midfield cover, an area where we are perhaps a bit thin now that JP is out,” Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said.

"JP was going to provide cover for us at outside centre, while JJ Engelbrecht and Francois Hougaard can also be used on the wing, especially as Bjorn Basson is out for another six weeks.

"Losing JP is obviously a massive blow, as he’s been playing some superb rugby lately, but Juan has also been in good form for the Stormers and was one of the unlucky players to miss out on initial selection.

"It’s great to have Juan involved as he brings new energy with him. This call-up just shows again that no player is ever completely out of the equation.”

De Jongh, who is based in Cape Town, had his first session with the Springboks on Monday afternoon.