As the Boks shifted base from Newcastle to the outskirts of London, Pietersen’s chances of playing against the USA at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday look slim, even though he will be reassessed on Monday.
With this being the last game before the quarterfinals, one the Boks need to win well, there might be a temptation to push Pietersen, but with 10 days before the quarterfinals after that, it may be a lot wiser to rest him in anticipation for qualification and play Lwazi Mvovo instead.
The same goes for the likes of Victor Matfield (hamstring) and Jannie du Plessis (knee), both of whom may not be considered for selection given their injury niggles.
“Victor has been struggling with his hamstring,” team doctor Craig Roberts said.
“It was touch and go for the Scotland game and we made the decision that it was probably not worth it to risk him. We will assess him at training and see how he goes. If he runs comfortably, we will possibly consider him for the USA game.
