Springbok centre Jean de Villiers has been signed by Western Province and Stormers and will be available for the Currie Cup this year already.

De Villiers spent the past year with the Irish outfit Munster but has decided to return to South Africa with the intention of securing a place in the Springbok squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

The announcement was made by WP’s Senior Professional Coach Rassie Erasmus and MD of WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd Rob Wagner at the High Performance Centre in Bellville.

The other big scoop for the union was the acquisition of prop CJ van der Linde who has just returned to South Africa after a two-year stint in Ireland with Leinster.

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CJ van der Linde, tighthead prop for Leinster will join the Springbok squad in France on Wednesday as a replacement for Jannie du Plessis, who has withdrawn from the European tour with a hand injury.

Leinster-based Van der Linde made the last of his 56 Test appearances for South Africa against Australia in a Vodacom Tri-Nations fixture in August 2008.

His most recent appearance for Leinster was in the Irish champions’ 23-6 victory over Cardiff Blues on 31 October, before the break in the European season for the autumn internationals.

Van der Linde made his Test debut as a 22-year-old against Scotland in 2002 and was a member of the World Cup-winning squad of 2007.

“It’s fantastic that we’re able to call on a player with CJ’s experience to join the squad,” said Bok coach Peter de Villiers.

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