RUGBY:SOUTH AFRICA coach Peter de Villiers has released three members of the 2007 World Cup-winning squad in preparation for the Mandela Challenge Test against Argentina in Johannesburg next Saturday.

World Cup winners Francois Steyn, Ruan Pienaar and Gurthro Steenkamp, plus winger Odwa Ndungane, have returned to their provincial teams to take part in South Africa's domestic Currie Cup competition.

Steyn and Pienaar's exclusion is surprising because De Villiers was expected to experiment with the outhalf position in the wake of Butch James below-par form.

SOUTH AFRICA SQUAD: Backs - A Jacobs, B Habana, B James, C Jantjes, E Januarie, F du Preez, J Fourie, J de Villiers, J Nokwe, JP Pietersen, P Montgomery, P Grant. Forwards - A Strauss, A Bekker, B Botha, B du Plessis, B Mujati, CJ van der Linde, J Van Niekerk, J Smith, L Watson, P Spies, R Kankowski, S Burger, T Mtawarira, V Matfield.