COBUS VISAGIE has been named in Jake White's 28-man South Africa squad for the away leg of the Tri-Nations series.

The Saracens tighthead prop was on holiday in his homeland when he received the surprise call.

Visagie has not featured for the Springboks since failing to make their 2003 World Cup squad, although his performances at club level for the past few seasons have led to many commentators calling for his return.

Visagie joins a squad which has a second-string look about it with White opting to rest his frontline team of players ahead of the World Cup.

The Springboks play Australia on July 7 in Sydney and the All Blacks the following weekend in Christchurch.

Peter Jooste, the convener of national selectors said Visagie had earned his recall.

"We spoke to him and tested him on Thursday at the Sports Science Institute of SA in Cape Town.

"His results are fantastic and he is looking good. So it is a matter of getting him match-fit.

"We have always said if someone can help us win the World Cup, we will look at them. So we will see how Cobus performs on this tour and see if he can add value to the national squad."