Former Ireland full-back Felix Jones has been appointed as a "defence consultant" by South Africa for the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The move will see Jones reunited with Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus, with whom he worked at Munster.

Jones, 32, won 13 caps for Ireland and was part of the 2015 Six Nations title-winning squad.

He also played for Leinster and Munster before being forced to retire at the age of 28 because of a neck injury.

Jones then went straight into the coaching staff at Munster where he worked under Erasmus for the 2016-17 season.

He helped Munster to three consecutive European Champions Cup semi-finals before leaving the province in June.

His arrival comes after attack coach Swys de Bruin quit earlier this month, citing personal and health reasons.

"I spoke to the players after Swys decided to step down and the consensus was that we didn't want a new attack coach," said Erasmus in a South African Rugby media release on Wednesday.

"The feeling was that bringing in someone in that role now with new ideas now would be destabilising at this last stage of the preparations.

"But they were interested in having more analysis of defensive patterns and structures to assist in breaking down the opposition."

"Felix will bring a fresh eye to our analysis and planning, and I am looking forward to his input," said Erasmus. "He is a real student of the game and I believe the players will benefit from his contribution."

The Springboks open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Yokohama on 21 September. They have also been pooled with Italy, Namibia and Canada.