Skipper Jean de Villiers has been left out of a 31-man South Africa squad for a 2015 Rugby Championship match in Australia.

The 34-year-old centre will continue his remarkable recovery from a career-threatening knee injury by turning out for Western Province instead in Currie Cup warm-up games.

De Villiers played this weekend for the first time since being injured against Wales last November, coming off the bench for the final 20 minutes of a 46-10 Springboks’ triumph over a World XV.

The decision to keep De Villiers at home was planned and he will likely return to the Test arena when South Africa host Argentina on August 8 in Durban.

More to follow…