CAPE TOWN – Former Springboks Jaque Fourie and Ryan Kankowski could be in line to make a surprise move to feature for Australia's Western Force franchise.
Fourie – who won both a World Cup and British & Irish Lions series with the Boks – announced his retirement from all rugby in 2017 after a lengthy stint playing in Japan.
However, reports have now emerged suggesting he has received an offer to play for the Force in the the new Indo Pacific Rugby Championship that is set to be bankrolled by Australian business tycoon Andrew Forrest.
Forrest proposed the new tournament following the Force's axing from Super Rugby last year, which followed a drawn out battle between the Perth-based franchise and the Australian Rugby Union.
It's believed that the tournament organisers will meet with Rugby Australia on Tuesday in order to receive final approval for the new competition to go ahead, while Forest has revealed that over 250 elite players across the world have been contacted to partake in the rebel tournament.
Fourie is said to be one of those players who is now reportedly waiting on the finalised paperwork before his participation in the competition is confirmed.
Kankowski, who played 20 Test for the Boks between 2007 and 2012, is another player who has been apparently approached by the IPRD organisers.
It remains to be seen whether these players could possibly also form part of the Force's National Rugby Championship squad for Australia's domestic competition.
As it is, the Force have already announced the re-signing of former Springbok flyhalf Peter Grant, while they are expected to announce a number of other new signings in the near future.