Pietersen’s possible return

In the injury forced absence of S’bu Nkosi, veteran winger JP Pietersen is expected to make an international return come the rugby championship.

After the Sharks confirmed Nkosi’s ankle injury would see him out of action for 8-12 weeks, Netwerk24 reported on Tuesday that Pietersen is the favourite to replace the young wing.

While Nkosi was brilliant in his debut series for the Boks, scoring two tries and playing an integral part in the 2-1 series win, a best case scenario will only see him return on September 8 in time for the Boks’ away clash against the Wallabies in Brisbane, while a worst-case scenario will see him return for their final match against the All Blacks at Loftus Versfeld on October 6.

And thus the door opens up for 32 year old Pietersen to add to his 70 caps, the last of which he played at Twickenham against England in 2016. He currently plays for French giants Toulon