Flank Paul de Villiers is willing to play wherever Rassie Erasmus needs him as he looks to establish himself in the Springbok squad. CLINTON VAN DER BERG reports.
If regularly playing on the side of the Springbok scrum isn’t enough pressure, Paul de Villiers is increasingly being saddled with questions about captaincy and rugby’s new catchphrase – being a hybrid.
Unsurprisingly, the 23-year-old flanker embraces it all. As a former provincial wrestler whose transition into rugby has been a study in relentless focus, he’s happy to be in any leadership role handed to him. He was headboy at Oakdale, captained SA U20 and has led the Stormers in two URC matches.
“It was a big privilege captaining the Stormers, standing in for Ruhan Nel, just awesome to be there and have other leaders to back me up,” he said ahead of playing off the bench in Saturday’s 66-7 win against Italy in Turin.
“For the moment, I’m playing for the Springboks, and that’s a massive privilege. It’s about staying in this group, keeping my head down, staying humble and getting a chance to play.
“We’ll see what the future holds, but you must be part of the group to even get that opportunity. So the focus is to try to stay here and play good rugby.”
Given his defence, skills and pace, De Villiers has inevitably been touted as a potential hybrid, following the path set by players like Marco van Staden and André Esterhuizen. Both Stormers coach John Dobson and Bok coach Rassie Erasmus have spoken enthusiastically of De Villiers’ possibilities as an inside centre.
The player himself admitted he had thought about it and would be happy to contribute, adding, however, that when he looked at the current Bok backs, most were versatile and could fulfil more than a single specialist role.
“I’ll contribute wherever I must.”
For now, his focus is on trying to nail down a specialist starting role when there is a glut of outstanding No 6 talent, among them Van Staden and Siya Kolisi.
“We push each other a lot, whether we’re playing, not playing or on the bench. We pick each other up and push each other to get better for what’s needed on the weekend.
“All of us bring something different, and I think the coaches look at that when they select the team, based on what they need on the field.
“You must be able to take your opportunity and give it your best. Sometimes even the best players don’t play, because there’s someone else they need for the job.
“So just be ready, be available and give your all.”
MORE: Erasmus gives update on Moerat
Photo: Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images
The post De Villiers up for hybrid challenge appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Flank Paul de Villiers is willing to play wherever Rassie Erasmus needs him as he looks to establish himself in the Springbok squad.
The post De Villiers up for hybrid challenge appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
