South Africa captain Jean de Villiers believes his team can only consider themselves World Cup favourites if they build on their thrilling victory over New Zealand in Johannesburg.
De Villiers, who spent the 2009/10 season at Munster, leads his Springbok team on a four-match tour of Europe that begins in Dublin on Saturday. The inside centre is targeting a winning sweep but is equally focused on re-producing the performances that pushed Steve Hansen’s All Blacks close in The Rugby Championship. South Africa ended the competition with a two-point win over New Zealand after falling 25-24 behind in the closing stages. ‘We never panicked and stuck to our task,’ the captain says. ‘That impressed me more than anything.’
‘The challenge for us is to see if we can play our natural game in the northern hemisphere in those conditions,’ he said. ‘It comes down to decision making and getting our structures in place. We’re a new team but we’ll hopefully be evolving on this tour. It will be a big test for us but we’re looking forward to it.’
The 102-cap international is hoping to catch up with former Munster team-mate Paul O’Connell after the match and jokes ‘I’ll shout the beers’. De Villiers has not forgotten the warm welcome players such as O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan afforded him upon his 2009 arrival in Limerick.
De Villiers has played Ireland four times in his Test career – losing in 2006 and 2009 but gaining revenge in 2010 and 2012. He has spotted a playing evolution under Joe Schmidt. He adds, ‘It’s about being on top of your game defensively and from taking your attacking opportunities when they come.’
Retiring figure
De Villiers says he will stand down from international rugby following the 2015 World Cup and has ruled out taking an immediate step into coaching. He met up with Ronan O’Gara in Paris in November 2013 and was amazed at how much his former Munster team-mate was revelling in his coaching role at Racing Métro. ‘He is loving it over there, has a wealth of experience and is pretty handy with the language too,’ the South African says.
He comments, ‘I would like to stay in South Africa after I finish up but, saying that, once you’re involved in the coaching structures of Super Rugby here you are away from home an awful lot. With having a family now, kids and all of that, I‘d like to be home much more. So probably not a move into coaching but you never say never. I’d like to stay involved in the game in some capacity. Right now I’m looking forward to last fourteen months of my career as an international and finishing on a high.’
Having turned 33 earlier this year, De Villiers has an appreciation for Irish veterans like O’Connell, Mike Ross and Eoin Reddan, who he is set to face at Lansdowne Road this weekend. He says, ‘In South Africa it is very much a case of a countdown once you turn thirty.
‘That’s where you got it right, in Ireland. You manage the guys really well and that gives them longevity. It’s great to see and that’s where I think we can learn a lot from you guys. In the southern hemisphere the season is only getting longer and longer.’
Ireland will be hoping to take advantage of that lengthy season while seeking to prove to the Springboks that they now know how to close out tight games.
