Nick Mallett believes Stormers flank Paul de Villiers has the qualities to become a fixture in the green and gold.
The opensider has been named on the Springbok bench for Saturday’s season opener against the Barbarians in Gqeberha and arrives in the national set-up with a growing reputation as one of the country’s most effective breakdown specialists.
Mallett, who has closely followed the 23-year-old’s development, believes there is far more to De Villiers’ game than simply winning turnovers.
“I know him reasonably well because I’ve watched a number of Stormers training sessions,” Mallett said on the Talking Boks podcast.
“He’s incredibly mature for his age. I think he’s captained most of the teams he’s played for coming through the system.”
Mallett sees similarities between De Villiers and Springbok World Cup winner Kwagga Smith, particularly in their physical profile and ability to influence games around the breakdown.
“He’s around the same size as Kwagga Smith, probably not quite as quick, but similar physically. He really admires Heinrich Brüssow and wants to model parts of his game on him.”
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What stands out most for Mallett is De Villiers’ rugby intelligence.
“He’s got very good decision-making skills. He doesn’t get penalised a lot, but he’s invariably around the ball when the opposition want quick possession. He gets over it, slows it down and makes sure he’s legal.”
That discipline is reflected in a stat Mallett believes separates De Villiers from many other fetchers.
“His turnover-to-penalty ratio is outstanding. He wins a lot of turnovers because referees trust what he’s doing.”
By the end of the URC regular season, De Villiers had effected 19 turnovers – the second highest in the competition.
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Importantly, Mallett says the Stormers star offers far more than breakdown expertise.
“He’s not just a fetcher. He’s a very good defender, a hard tackler and he gets back to his feet quickly. He’s also a good ball-carrier, has excellent evasive skills and passes beautifully off both hands.”
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With his first taste of Springbok rugby now within reach, Mallett believes the challenge will be transferring those strengths onto the international stage.
“The toughness we’re talking about is around the breakdown, protecting possession and his defence.
“That’s been brilliant for the Stormers and he’ll need to bring that into the Springbok environment.”
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Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
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Nick Mallett believes Stormers flank Paul de Villiers has the qualities to become a fixture in the green and gold.
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