Great to see him back.
When Jean de Villiers collapsed to the turf in Cardiff during last November’s clash with Wales, it looked like the South Africa captain’s international career had ended. De Villiers, who missed out on the 2007 World Cup win through injury, faced a monumental fitness battle to get into contention for selection for this year’s tournament, and remarkably, he made his return this afternoon.
South Africa easily beat a World XV 46-10 but the day’s biggest cheer was saved for when de Villiers entered proceedings after an hour. Willie le Roux grabbed a hat-trick for the Springboks but it was all about de Villiers, and the former Munster centre made a dashing break in the build-up to le Roux’s final try.
If you want to see just how much effort went into de Villiers comeback, take a look at this brilliant documentary charting his rehabilitation.
