CAPE TOWN – Japan's Sunwolves have added two former Springboks to their squad for their final Super Rugby season next year, the club announced on its website.
Both JJ Engelbrecht and Rudy Paige, 30 year-olds who each played 13 tests for South Africa, have signed for the 2020 season, which is set to be the last for the franchise in Super Rugby.
They join from Clermont Auvergne in France, where they had brief contracts as World Cup cover.
Centre Engelbrecht previously competed for the Stormers and Bulls in Super Rugby and had a spell in Wales with the Ospreys.
Scrumhalf Paige previously played Super Rugby for the Bulls and in the PRO14 for the Cheetahs.
The Sunwolves have also added tighthead prop Conraad van Vuuren from the Bulls as well as lock Michael Stolberg and backrower Corey Thomas from Australia, they said.
The Tokyo-based Sunwolves will be cut from Super Rugby after next season, when the competition reverts to a purely southern hemisphere affair of 14 teams in a round-robin format.
The Japan Rugby Football Union were unable to "financially underwrite" the team post-2020, southern hemisphere governing body SANZAAR said in March.