Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says Paul de Villiers is “the right person” to start at openside flank for the Springboks against the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The 23-year-old will earn his fourth Test cap after coach Rassie Erasmus opted not to select Siya Kolisi despite the Bok captain training with the team this week.
Stick acknowledged Kolisi’s absence would be significant, but believes the Boks’ decision to expose De Villiers to Test rugby last month has prepared him for the challenge.
“Not having Siya – we know he’s our captain, we know he’s our leader – will always be a big loss for us,” Stick said on Friday.
“We didn’t know Siya was not going to be ready for this game, but the trust that we’ve shown in Paul de Villiers from the beginning, against big teams, gave him an opportunity and now everyone is talking about him.
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“One thing that I enjoy about him is the maturity at that age. He understands his role very well in the team and, like we always say, irrespective of your age, if you take full ownership of what needs to be done in the team, you are also a leader and a senior in your space.
“The opportunity that he’s getting – I know it’s different, it’s a different beast. Playing against the All Blacks is probably one of the toughest games you can ever play in your career.
“But I think he’s the right person. He’s a warrior, he doesn’t stand back for anyone, and that’s what you need for this game.”
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Another notable selection is Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at flyhalf ahead of Manie Libbok, who is on the bench, while Erasmus opted for Cobus Wiese as lock cover ahead of World Cup winners Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager.
Stick said the coaches had debated their options extensively.
“It’s always a tough challenge to select a match 23, week in, week out. Even in all the other games that we’ve played in the Nations Championship, there were always heavy debates in the boardroom between us as coaches.
“We always look at the challenge first. The challenge that the All Blacks are going to bring – they talk about their high-tempo game, they talk about keeping the ball-in-play time.
“For us, we had to make sure that we select the best possible team for us to perform on the weekend. It doesn’t mean next week it’s going to be the same team.
“We’re not only looking for a 60-minute performance, we’re looking for an 80-minute performance.”
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Stick believes the Boks have selected a bench capable of matching the All Blacks’ traditional late surge.
“There were days where, after 60 minutes, they used to lift the tempo up. But now we’ve also got some of the youngsters on the bench who have a lot of energy.
“You’ve seen what Zach [Porthen] can do off the bench. You’ve seen what Jan-Hendrik [Wessels] can do off the bench.”
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Photo: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images
The post Stick: De Villiers a warrior the Boks need appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says Paul de Villiers is “the right person” to start at openside flank for the Springboks against the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
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