JP Pietersen to miss tour by Springboks

South Africa have lost another player to injury ahead of their end-of-year tour to Britain and Ireland after wing JP Pietersen was withdrawn from the Springboks training squad with a hamstring problem.

The South African Rugby Union (SARA) said yesterday that Pietersen was injured playing for the Sharks in Saturday's Currie Cup semi-final win over the Blue Bulls.

SARU said no replacement would be named in the preliminary squad for the five-match tour. A final touring group will be named on 30 October.

Centre Wynand Olivier was ruled out with a groin injury on Wednesday, joining captain John Smit, prop Gurthro Steenkamp, centre Jaque Fourie, scrum-half Fourie du Preez, lock Andries Bekker and flanker Heinrich Brussow missing the trip to Europe.

l Lote Tuqiri, who was playing rugby union for Leicester this time last year, will bridge an eight-year gap this weekend when he runs out for the Kangaroos in the Four Nations Series.

The dual-code international, who returned to league earlier this year with Wests Tigers, was called into the Australian squad two days ago as a replacement for the injured Jarryd Hayne and goes straight into the side to face Papua New Guinea in Sydney on Sunday.