Jean-Luc du Preez joins South Africa's Rugby Championship squad

South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber has added Jean-Luc du Preez in the squad ahead of the second round of the Rugby Championship against Argentina to be played at Port Elizabeth.

The 26-year-old was named in the initial squad of the Springboks before the series against the British and Irish Lions but was later released to join his club Sale Sharks as Nienaber trimmed his squad.

With South Africa set to play their final game at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium following which they are likely to head to Australia for the remainder of the competition, Nienaber feels a bigger squad will help considering the Covid protocols in place.

“We have a physically demanding Rugby Championship campaign ahead, which includes a long tour, and given the strict protocols in place to call up players to Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we opted to draft Jean-Luc into the group sooner rather than later,” said Nienaber.

“He is a seasoned player and understands the demands of playing competitions such as this, and over and above that he is familiar with our structures, so we are looking forward to seeing him back in the mix.”

Du Preez has played 13 Tests for South Africa since his international debut in 2016 and last featured for them in June 2018.

South Africa kick-started their Rugby Championship campaign with a 32-12 win in the opening table and are positioned second in the table behind New Zealand, who defeated Australia 57-22.