Former South Africa captain Bobby Skinstad will return to international rugby on Saturday after four years out, including a spell in the lower leagues of the English game.
Skinstad was called into the Springbok squad on Friday for the second Test against England in Pretoria because number eight Danie Rossouw has flu.
Loose forward Pierre Spies replaces his Bulls colleague in the starting line-up with Skinstad on the bench.
The 30-year-old Skinstad captained South Africa in 10 of his 34 Tests and his last appearance was off the bench against Argentina in 2003. A serious knee injury cost him his place and he moved to England, where he played sixth and seventh division rugby for Richmond and became involved in a doomed attempt to establish a South African side in the Premiership.
Skinstad returned to South Africa at the start of the year and played Super 14 rugby for the Sharks, helping them to the final, which they lost 20-19 to the Bulls.
”Social rugby is probably the best description for what I was playing in England and it felt almost impossible to come back, but I never counted on the support of the players and coaching staff at the Sharks,” Skinstad told reporters in Johannesburg on Friday.
Skinstad put in several stout defensive displays for the Sharks while showing he still had tremendous handling skills.
The Springboks inflicted a record 58-10 defeat on England in the first test in Bloemfontein last weekend. — Reuters