The former IRB World Player of the Year flew to Western Australia with the rest of the South African reserves on Monday and is expected to return to the world champions' 22 as a back row back up for Juan Smith and Heinrich Brussow.

Burger played his 50th test for the Springboks against the British & Irish Lions in Pretoria two months ago, when he was yellow carded in the opening minutes for putting his fingers in the eyes of Luke Fitzgerald.

After the game he was cited and eventually banned for eight weeks. That forced him to miss the third Test in Johannesburg and the opening three matches of the 2009 Tri Nations campaign.

The Springboks have remained unbeaten in the Tri Nations to date, beating the All Blacks twice and the Wallabies once on home soil, but must no embark on the away leg of the series with two games in Australia and one in New Zealand.

The Wallabies, who have lost all three games to date, are already missing skipper Stirling Mortlock and will also be missing second row Nathan Sharpe. Centre Berrick Barnes is suffering from concussion and there are also injury doubts over back row man Rocky Elsom and teenage full back James O'Connor.