De Villiers ignored the form of traditional full backs Stefan Terblanche and Zane Kirchner and opted instead to put his faith in a player who is more familiar playing elsewhere in the backline.

As to which player he will choose to wear the No15 shirt, de Villiers is yet to make his decision public.

The choice seems to be between Pietersen and Francois Steyn, with the former claiming he would have little difficulty adapting to the position in which he made his international bow against Australia in 2006.

"It is not my decision where I play, but if the coach puts me there, I would love to play the position," said Pietersen, who has won all but two of his 24 caps on the wing.

"My last Test as a fullback was in 2007 against the All Blacks in Christchurch. I made my debut there for the Sharks and the Springboks," he told News 24.

"I am definitely a more mature player now. I have been working for four years on my kicking and it is definitely better than in the beginning of my career. It will definitely not be a problem for me.

"I have the confidence to play fullback or wing."

Pietersen currently has 10 international tries to his name, with two of those coming against England and one against Wales.

He started the 2007 World Cup Final on the right wing and has never lost to one of the four Home Unions in seven fixtures.