Being captain of the Springboks is a high-profile job and one that brings with it a heavy dose of pressure, but Jean de Villiers almost always carries a ready smile on his face.

Maybe it’s because he still plays sport for fun, just as he did as a laaitie in Paarl when he would spend all day during the weekends and holidays out on the fields with a rugby ball and a tennis racquet.

But that’s not to say De Villiers does not take his rugby seriously. He knows full well how the Springboks carry the hopes of the nation and also how important the success of the Stormers is to their passionate supporters.

And while the 33-year-old is a progressive thinker, he still stands by the importance of traditions, of  which there are many in rugby, such as the back seats on the Springbok bus being reserved for  senior players.

“My upbringing, the impact of my parents and family, and also my schooling have all helped to shape me into the person that I am today,” De Villiers says. “My parents, Louise and Andre, have helped incredibly with my upbringing off the field, but also on the field.

“My dad played provincial rugby [lock for Western Province] and my mother was in the provincial netball team, so I basically grew up in a house where rugby was part of our day-to-day routine and, also, grew up on a netball field and next to a swimming pool as my mom used to play and coach those sports.

“And then Paarl Gimnasium taught me something that I am still using today, which is respect, definitely. The importance that an individual has within a team situation – if you have that respect for yourself and your fellow players then it creates a good culture,” De Villiers says.

De Villiers’ exalted station in life means he also has to put up with the vicissitudes of sporting fortune, in particular the harsh treatment meted out to the Springboks by referees around the world, but he exemplifies Rudyard Kipling’s advice to treat those twin imposters of triumph and disaster just the same.

He always appears unflappable on the field, but De Villiers says that is not the real him.
“Definitely not!,” he laughs. “I try and have a clear mind on the field because I feel when you do have a clear mind you can make good decisions. There’s no use trying to argue with a referee once a decision has been made and that’s something that comes with experience and I’ve learnt over a couple of years of playing at the highest level.”

Dealing with defeat and being able to pick his team up again are two other skills De Villiers has had to develop.

“I always see defeat as a good reality check to sort of reassess your situation and to try and improve after that.

“If the culture of the team is good and everyone knows what they’re striving towards, then usually it’s not difficult to get over the disappointment of defeat,” he says.

And leadership is also something which De Villiers sees as a function of focusing on the team good.

“Leadership varies from team to team and person to person. For me, being involved in the teams that I am involved with is getting a feel for what the team’s striving towards and what the individuals are striving for and then putting all of that together and making sure that you, as captain, drive that journey forward and make it happen.”

Since De Villiers took over the captaincy after John Smit’s retirement, he has led the Springboks to 17 wins in 24 Tests and returned them to the number two world ranking.

It means there is plenty of optimism in the build-up to next year’s World Cup.

“Yes, we do have high hopes for the Rugby World Cup, but that’s still a long way off in September 2015. For us now it’s about building on that success we’ve enjoyed and getting to number one in the world,” De Villiers says.

The Springboks hammered Australia twice last year and completed an unbeaten European tour in November, but the one team they haven’t managed to beat since De Villiers and new coach Heyneke Meyer took the reins has been New Zealand.

“I think we’re very close to beating them, but the reality is that we’ve not beaten them in the last two years. In order to do so, we need to rectify one or two small little things, and I have no doubt that this year we will get there,” De Villiers says.

The former Stellenbosch University student describes himself as a “family man” and there is no doubt wife Marlie and daughters Layli (2) and Lana (9 months) are the centre of his universe.

“I think we’re very blessed to be able to tour as much as we do and it’s a great part of being a professional rugby player as you get to see the world, but it’s quite demanding with two young daughters and it does put a lot of strain on my wife Marlie, but luckily I picked a fantastic woman to share my life with,” he says, before adding that they keep him centred in his beliefs.

“Being a Christian I try and live by those sort of standards from a day-to-day basis. Also, I try to live up to the expectations of my two daughters and a lovely wife, so I would never want to disappoint those women in my life.”

Which seems highly unlikely given De Villiers’ astute world view and his insight into the society around him.

“Having a wife and two daughters of my own, it really hits home when you hear about Crimes against women – it’s really sickening. I think a real man respects women and children and doesn’t try and abuse and pick fights with easy targets.

“As rugby players we have a responsibility as role-models to lead by example both on and off the field – even though we’re involved in a physical contact sport like rugby, we go home and show love and respect to our loved ones and those close to us. I think abusing a woman or child – or any form of bullying – is the act of a coward,” the Springbok captain firmly states.

Despite his workload in one of the busiest channels on the rugby field, South Africa’s most capped centre (96 Tests) is confident he can keep going until the World Cup.

“I’m really feeling good, the body is holding up considering the amount of game time I’ve had, and I feel I’m playing decent rugby.

“If I’m still the best inside centre in the country then there’s no reason why I can’t make the World Cup and, in an ideal world, I’d love that.

“But it’s up to the coach and he has to plan the group he wants to take and have all the scenarios in place. If I’m still the number one centre then I could captain the side at the World Cup, but I’m very aware of the situation,” De Villiers told French rugby publication Midi Olympique late last year.

Coach Meyer has been unstinting in his praise of his captain and has reportedly already decided De Villiers will continue in that role this year.

“Jean has been awesome, he’s a brilliant captain. He’s started every game in the last two years and he’s also been a great ambassador for the country. He has also been our main ball-carrier and he gains good ground for us,” Meyer said.

De Villiers is indeed a tremendous ambassador and role-model and well-aware of his off-field responsibilities.

“I don’t have a specific charity that I support individually but I love helping out with the Springbok charity, Boks for Books, and also the Players’ Fund is very close to my heart.

“At the DHL Stormers we’re heavily involved with Reach for a Dream and, of course, at national level too. As rugby players, we all try to contribute to the development of rugby through coaching clinics.

“I have no doubts about rugby unifying people in South Africa. We could just see it by the numbers of people that rock up every weekend to watch the Springboks play. When we’re winning, you can see it by the crowd sizes – it’s all different ethnic groups and religions; all people of South Africa who take pride in the performances of the national sides and that puts a lot of responsibility on us as players.

“The 1995 Rugby World Cup was a great example of what rugby did for our nation and we’re all aware of our responsibilities moving forward in our country,” De Villiers says.

Q&A

Who do you most admire in the world?
After listening to Barack Obama at Nelson Mandela’s memorial – I was fortunate enough to be there – I must say I was impressed with him and the aura that surrounds him and he’s quite an impressive person.

How would you describe yourself?
Fun-loving, easy-going, motivated and a family man.

When last did you cry?
When I have to leave home on tour.

What is your favourite virtue?
Humility.

Your main fault?
Patience.

Your favourite qualities in others?
Love.

Your idea of happiness?
My family – being with them or just thinking about them when I am away from home.

When did you last laugh till you cried?
Watching Pat Cilliers do a cricket pitch report.

Your idea of misery?
Not having a close support structure – be it family or friends – when times are tough.

Your favourite author?
John Dobson (he wrote The Year of the Gherkin).

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis warned on Friday that nobody’s place was certain for the ICC World T20 after his side were hammered by six wickets with five overs to spare by Australia in their T20 international at Centurion.

South Africa leave for Bangladesh and the ICC World T20 on Saturday and will enter the tournament with little expectation judging by their recent form.

“Having guys in form will be really important if we’re going to do well in the T20 World Cup. If people aren’t on top of their game then we’ll definitely look at other options, nobody is a certainty,” Du Plessis told a press conference after the match.

Neither Dale Steyn nor Morne Morkel played in the T20 series against Australia and their stand-ins – the likes of Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Wayne Parnell and Beuran Hendricks – were unable to reproduce their domestic form against what Du Plessis described as “a powerhouse batting line-up”.

“Our bowlers made a lot of mistakes tonight – we bowled the wrong lines and lengths, but defending less than 130 makes it difficult for the bowlers. I wanted them to bowl as straight as possible, but there was way too much square-of-the-wicket strokeplay. But having Dale and Morne back will be a huge bonus,” Du Plessis admitted.

The captain also conceded that both the batting and fielding had not been up to scratch on Friday night.

“We made a lot of mistakes with the bat and we didn’t lay a good base for our big hitters; David Miller and Albie Morkel need to come in when we’re on top. The pitch was quite tough for the first six overs, but we need to adapt and getting out caught like we did was soft dismissals. It sums up our batting effort and nine times out of 10 you’re not going to win games with soft dismissals,” Du Plessis said.

South Africa have also been the international benchmark in terms of fielding, but since the departure of Rob Walter as the fielding coach, they have often looked lethargic and have not taken several crucial catches through the summer.

The one positive from the heavy defeat was the bowling of leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who took two for 21 in his four overs and showed that he certainly won’t be one of the passengers in Bangladesh.

“Imran bowled really well, which is a really good sign for us. He’s going to play a huge part in our success in the T20 World Cup, on those pitches, in those conditions,” Du Plessis acknowledged.

http://www.iol.co.za/sport/cricket/proteas/no-one-s-place-is-safe-faf-1.1661821#.UycTV6iSy9A

Australia captain Michael Clarke saluted his wrecking-ball fast bowler Mitchell Johnson for his top-class effort in destroying South Africa in the first Test at Centurion over the weekend, but added that he expected the hosts to be a much tougher proposition in the second Test starting in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.

“Everyone who loves cricket around the world knows that Mitchell Johnson is bowling at 150km/h and executing his skills better than anyone else in the game at the moment. It’s an amazing skill to bowl fast, but to also hit the mark like he did is top-class,” Clarke said after the 281-run walloping at SuperSport Park.

“But there’s still a lot of skill left in that South African changeroom and I’m sure they’ll be a tougher proposition when they come out in Port Elizabeth and we’ll have to be at our best again. Against the number one side in the world, away from home, the only way to beat them is to be at your best all day, every day. They are a world-class team, there’s no doubt about it.”

South Africa captain Graeme Smith denied that there would be any mental scarring after the Johnson working-over, but it is certainly going to take a mental shift for the home side to rebound and stay in the series.

“We’ve only lost a cricket match, even though we were beaten comprehensively. There’s still a lot of confidence in our side and we still have reference points, not long ago we put Mitchell Johnson under pressure.

“We need to find a way to curb him. Our game plan and mindsets are good, but the surface really suited him with indifferent bounce. He obviously bowled well, but the pitch played a big role. The key is to make sure our top-order builds big partnerships against him,” Smith said.

Clarke himself admitted that the pitch, on which the bounce became more and more inconsistent, had played a large role in South Africa’s fourth-day capitulation.

“It was quite a nasty wicket to be honest, you’d not like to see any team batting second on that. That’s why I declared after 3.2 overs, which certainly wasn’t the plan. But I saw enough to know the pitch was quite dangerous and we got off as quickly as we could. The conditions had a lot to do with what happened today,” Clarke said after South Africa were bundled out for 200 in 59.4 overs.

Apart from Johnson, who boasted match figures of 12 for 127, the best by a fast bowler against South Africa since readmission, the other noticeable difference between the two sides at Centurion was the amount of intensity Australia showed in everything they did. It comes from the pain they have suffered recently before turning their fortunes around in the Ashes at home.

“I’ve addressed the group several times about attitude and hunger and the response has been outstanding. We keep finding ways to get back into games and we’ve been able to run with momentum when we have it.

“Our batsmen deserve a lot of credit for making runs on quite a tough pitch and Shaun Marsh and Alex Doolan really showed that hunger against the best attack I’ve played against.

“You have to go through tough times to really cherish these moments and we take nothing for granted. We want to get back to number one and we’re showing a large amount of hunger to do it,” Clarke said.

South Africa, number one for so long, have received a huge wake-up call and hopefully their pride has been sufficiently stung for them to produce the massive improvement required in Port Elizabeth to keep the series alive.

“Again we’ve started a series very slowly, but this result will benefit us long-term,” Smith said. “We need to make good leadership decisions and not get caught in the emotion. We deserve every bit of criticism coming our way, but we need to be smart and respond well.”

Graeme Smith is the captain who has sent the opposition in to bat more than any other skipper in Test history and the statistics for Centurion show that South Africa have won four of the last six Tests there batting second.

So the decision to send Australia in to bat on the first day of the first Test at SuperSport Park yesterday perhaps should not have been as surprising as it was. Except that the conditions really did not justify it: there was bright sunshine, the temperature was already high, the pitch had a slight greenish-yellow tinge to it but nothing out of the ordinary. It was the sort of day that just feels like a “batting day”.

The first session was always going to be tough for batsmen and the Australians struggled to 83 for three at lunch and were 98 for four soon after the break. But by the close of play, Shaun Marsh and Steven Smith had added 199 to take the tourists through to 297 for four at stumps.

Apart from not being at their sharpest, once again starting a Test series slowly, South Africa were guilty of not playing what was in front of them; the statistical history might have said one thing, but the here and now of the actual conditions were suggesting the opposite.

Coach Russell Domingo is known to be an ardent follower of statistics and Ryan McLaren admitted after the day’s play that the decision at the toss had been motivated by past history.

“The stats going into the game say enough – in most games, the team bowling first ends up winning, it’s a high percentage and it’s what’s worked in the past,” McLaren said.

Yesterday, however, it was a case of the pitch offering the usual amount of assistance for the first hour and then flattening out.

“The ball moved around a bit in the beginning, but it was slowish off the pitch. And then the ball got softer and the pitch became slower and flatter as the day went on,” McLaren admitted.

The overall record at Centurion indicates that the team batting second have won the Test 10 times in 19 matches, which is only slightly greater than 50%. Australia, having not appeared here since 1997, just played what was in front of them.

“We were surprised actually that we were sent in to bat,” Steven Smith said. “We thought it would be quite tough this morning, but if you get through that initial period then it would be quite nice for batting. And there is good pace and bounce in the wicket and if you get through the start, then it is good for batting.

“There are a few cracks forming too and, with the heat overhead, we’re hoping to get a big total and then use those cracks.”

South Africa’s bowlers toiled admirably, but were not at their sharpest. Dale Steyn, suffering from a stomach bug, deserves special mention for bowling 20 overs and taking two for 54.

His strikes removed dangermen David Warner (12) and Michael Clarke (23), but it’s apparent that there is a definite release in pressure once the seamers come out of the South African attack.

Australia were precariously placed on 113 for four after 40 overs midway through the second session when Robin Peterson came on to bowl. Marsh and Smith hit 22 runs off his four overs to change the momentum and added 63 runs in the 14 overs before tea.

Smith, originally a limited-overs dasher, plays with a refreshing simplicity and plenty of good sense, and he admitted that tightening up his technique and being more patient have been the two major factors in his recent success.

Marsh, able to average no more than 35.02 in first-class cricket, went to his second Test century and surprised everyone. A controversial selection, his inclusion was a hunch that did pay off and is going to be celebrated for a long while.

The left-hander was able to play within himself, occupying the crease for five-and-three-quarter hours, but he was accomplished when driving down the ground or cutting.

“Marsh and Smith played really well, you have to give credit to them. Shaun showed how good a player he is, he was under pressure, he took a few blows, but he adapted well,” McLaren said.

South Africa took more blows on the first day than Australia, but they have shown time and time again that they can adapt to misfortune, even if much of it was self-inflicted right at the start of the day.