De Villiers – “The Competition for Places is Good” in Run Up to World Cup
Springbok Captain Jean de Villiers predicted last night that the players in today’s Springbok squad will want to use their opportunity today and in the coming weeks to push for inclusion in the Rugby World Cup squad. De Villiers, who will lead the Boks again today for the first time since his serious knee injury in November […]
Springbok Captain Jean de Villiers predicted last night that the players in today’s Springbok squad will want to use their opportunity today and in the coming weeks to push for inclusion in the Rugby World Cup squad.
De Villiers, who will lead the Boks again today for the first time since his serious knee injury in November 2014, said last night that “the competition for places [in the World Cup squad] is good” and that “no-one can afford to relax.
“Every player has to make use of every playing opportunity. If you don’t, you won’t make it. We have a really exciting backline and an exciting team as a whole.” (See today’s Springbok team here.)
De Villiers was talking in Umhlanga, ahead of today’s match against Argentina in Durban, the team’s final Test on home soil for 2015 in the build-up for the World Cup.
He recalled that it was in Durban that he had addressed a “press conference as Springbok captain for the first time in 2012…and being back here is truly special.”
De Villiers said that “wearing the Bok jersey is always special, as everyone keeps saying. It’s been a long road back for me but by making it to this point I think I’ve proved what can be achieved by hard work.”
The South African captain acknowledged that “there are obviously areas we need to improve. There have been a few lapses in concentration over the past few weeks that have cost us. Ideally we need to get confidence in this game, we need to get confidence in the way we play and the way we approach it.
“But we want to focus on what we want to do and forget results of the previous two games and rather focus on the positives that came out of them. There are no warm-up games before the World Cup so we need to get it right now.”
Hashim Amla, captain of the South African Test cricket team, was present at the event last night to hand out the jerseys for today’s match (and was presented with a signed Springbok jersey from De Villiers).
Amla, who boasts batting averages of more than 50 in both Test and ODI cricket and is ranked in the top-four in the world in both forms of cricket, wished the Springboks well for their next two Tests before the team departs for England next month.
“My blood is green and so is everyone else’s in the Protea team,” said Amla.
“We know exactly how hard and tough the world of international sport is – we know how it goes when you do well and when you lose. My Protea team-mates are extremely envious of me for being able to spend time with you.
“But I’d like to let you know that we’re behind you 100% and we’d like to wish you well for the rest of the season. You guys play for the best rugby team in the world and you inspire the Protea fire.”
Source: SARU