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).

It is palpably unfair, but Springbok captain Jean de Villiers is painfully aware that if his team lose to the world champion All Blacks at Soccer City on Saturday then general opinion in the country will be that South African rugby is going to the dogs.

An impressive 31-8 victory last weekend over Australia lifted the mood, but has also created unfair expectations that the Springboks are favourites to beat New Zealand, who boast 939 test caps compared to South Africa’s paltry 490, and are, of course, the World Cup holders and unbeaten in 15 matches stretching back a year.

“We need to keep on evolving and, in this country, that’s usually judged by the result alone. If we put on a bad show, then we’re back where we started. We gained some momentum last weekend, and we want to build some more to take with us on the end-of-year tour,” De Villiers said on Friday.

“We played very well last weekend, but the pressure is still on us to perform. Australia had injury upon injury during that game, which definitely had an impact, so we’re not suddenly thinking we’re a great team. We’re happy with the improvement shown, but we’re very aware that we need to step up to another level this weekend.”

South Africa overwhelmed the Wallabies and did enough up front to beat the All Blacks in Dunedin in their last two outings and that has definitely added to the expectation.

But the All Blacks received plenty of flak from their fans for that performance in Dunedin and are also chasing the world record for successive wins, currently sitting on 15 with just three more needed to equal Lithuania’s mark set in 2010.

And that means Richie McCaw’s men have a point to prove and will come out firing.

“Our big goal is to be better than we were 12 months ago and if we don’t get things right tomorrow, then we’ll undo a lot of the good work we’ve done. Even though we’ve won the Rugby Championship, there’s still this big challenge ahead of playing the Springboks at home. It will be a huge test of where we are as a team,” McCaw said.

Eighthman Kieran Read was even more demanding in his analysis of what was riding on the game.

“It would really cement our number one status to win away from home against one of the top sides. If we don’t win, then a lot of what we’ve achieved goes out the window. To be number one, you can’t just win at home and it’s really important to win this weekend, there’s no bigger challenge than playing the Springboks at home,” Read said.

The one area where the hosts should definitely show an improvement as compared to their last match against the All Blacks will be in turning their possession into attacking opportunities.

With Johan Goosen making his first start at flyhalf, they scored five tries against Australia and could of scored more, thanks to an attacking edge that had been absent until then.

De Villiers will not place the hopes of the team in one man, especially one so young and still relatively unproven at the highest level, but he did confirm the 20-year-old Free Stater would be a key figure.

“Johan will be under pressure, but not a lot seems to bother him, he just gets on with the job. The bigger the event, the bigger his response seems to be. He’s a great player with unbelievable talent and a good head on his shoulders,” De Villiers said.

McCaw acknowledged Goosen’s threat.

“Goosen certainly played well last week, he got good ball and used it well so guys like Bryan Habana could benefit. He certainly backs himself and we’ve seen his ability with the Cheetahs in SuperRugby, so we’ll have to keep an eye on him and limit the amount of good ball he gets,” McCaw said.

While the All Blacks must be favourites on Saturday and will surely not deviate much from their expansive, fast-paced game that likes to get the ball wide, there is still plenty of intrigue surrounding the match, the 85th in this great rivalry between the two greatest rugby nations.

De Villiers is relishing the cat-and-mouse build-up to what should be an epic occasion on the outskirts of Soweto.

“We expect anything from the All Blacks, this mental battle, trying to outwit each other, that’s what’s great about Test match rugby. But we have an idea what we think they’re going to bring to the table,” the Springbok skipper said.

The Springboks will be tested in the scrums by the quality front row of Woodcock, Hore and Owen Franks, although Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss and Tendai Mtawarira have been in good form themselves.

We can expect an almighty tussle in the lineouts, New Zealand coach Steve Hansen recognising South Africa’s strength in that area by choosing Adam Thomson in the squad ahead of a more traditional openside flank in Sam Cane.

The All Blacks obviously have proven match-winners in McCaw and flyhalf Dan Carter, but Duane Vermeulen and Francois Louw were destructive forces in the ruck last weekend in Pretoria and it will be vital that they keep the New Zealand loosies in check.

The All Blacks backs are the obvious danger. The masterful Carter has the world’s most accomplished current centre pairing in Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith to work with, while the attacking threat posed by the back three of Israel Dagg, Cory Jane and Hosea Gear is the stuff of nightmares.

If the kicking game is not absolutely spot-on, or the chase is tardy in any way, the All Blacks will punish the Springboks.

The previous rugby Test at Soccer City proves the point. With the scores tied up at 22-22 in the final minute, Nonu broke from deep and Dagg finished a spectacular match-winning try.

The All Blacks have shown a liking for the big stage and with over 90,000 people expected in Nasrec on Saturday, they will be out to dazzle.

http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-10-06-boks-vs-all-blacks-the-heat-is-on

KB: There’s been a lot of talk about the Springbok backline and a lack of spark. Do you think changes are necessary and will Elton Jantjies and Jaco Taute make a difference?

JdV: The guys who’ve been added will definitely bring some youthful enthusiasm. Whenever someone is called up for the first time, they always bring some good energy with them, so it’s a great thing to have some new faces. If they get the opportunity to play, then I’m sure they’ll cherish it. Whenever there’s competition, it’s healthy and it brings the best out of the other players. Especially Jaco Taute, he can play centre or fullback, so he brings a lot of utility, he’s a quality player and I’m sure he’s good enough for Test rugby.

KB: You’ve formed a new partnership this year with Francois Steyn, how is it going? And are you happy at number 13 rather than your usual inside centre position?
JdV: Frans is such an unbelievably talented player and I believe the combination can still grow a lot. We’ve had sparks of brilliance, but I reckon we’re still only at 50-60% of our potential. I’m very happy at 13, there’s a bit more space and width out there and I think it will extend my career as there’s not as much traffic out there.

KB: How has Francois Steyn changed since his time in France with Racing Metro?
JdV: Without doubt he has matured a helluva lot and it definitely did him well. He’s such a talented guy and he’s already achieved so much at the age of 25. He made his Springbok debut aged 19, he won the World Cup at 20 and he already has more than 50 caps. He can still improve so much, but he clearly learnt a lot in France, you can see how he’s matured in his play and off the field. He’s now got much more of a decision-making and leadership role in the Springboks and he’s showing that on the field as well.

KB: The inexperienced pack surprised everyone by dominating the All Blacks in Dunedin. How happy were you after that performance?
JdV: I wasn’t surprised because the side selected had individuals who are very talented, they’re the best in their position and of course they’re going to add value. They showed that they are good enough there and hopefully we can build on that. You only get experience by playing.

KB: There was speculation that Bakkies Botha would be called up from Toulon. How close was he to selection and do you believe he has a role to play for the Springboks going forward?
JdV: I’m not involved with selection, although the coach will maybe consult with me from time to time, so I don’t know how close Bakkies was to selection. The situation is that we always see what’s available in South Africa first. Eben Etzebeth has come through and Flip van der Merwe showed against New Zealand that it’s time for him to stake a claim as well. He has all the talent and there’s Springbok blood flowing through him [His father Flippie was a 6ft5 prop who played six Tests between 1981 and 1989]. If those guys are injured and Bakkies is available, then I’m sure he’d be considered.

KB: Is the squad feeling the pressure of criticism from outside and is there a sense that you have to win these last two Rugby Championship Tests at home?
JdV: Pressure will always be there. I put pressure on myself to perform and as a team we put pressure on ourselves because we want to win every game we’re in the Springbok jersey. But the fact is it is a rebuilding year, we’ve basically lost a whole team with Gurthro Steenkamp, Bismarck du Plessis, Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger, Pierre Spies, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie and JP Pietersen all unavailable. That’s a massive bunch of experience and we’ve lost it so quickly. That puts our results into perspective, although we need to learn from our mistakes. But we do feel it’s vital to win our next two games and we’re looking forward to the challenge.

KB: How does it feel to be criticised by former coaches and players that were close to the team, for instance Peter de Villiers saying there wasn’t enough transformation in the squad?
JdV: I’d rather not comment on previous coaches’ and players’ comments. Our focus is on working towards a goal and we’re sticking to it. It’s important that we listen to the right people and sometimes I’ve felt that the media criticism has been a bit harsh. We just need to win and then everyone will see that we’re on the right track. We believe that we are and we’ve taken a couple of steps in the right direction even though the results didn’t go our way.

KB: You must have been especially disappointed to lose to Australia in Perth after dominating that game for so long?
JdV: Both games overseas, we felt we should have won, but those are the margins of Test rugby. One or two mistakes and you find yourselves 10 points down, but that’s what we need to learn from. That’s where experience comes in and all those names we’ve lost. It reminds me of 2004, there are a lot of similarities. We came close in Christchurch and Perth and then we won the two games at home and ended up winning the Tri-Nations.

KB: You also made the All Blacks look very beatable. You must take a lot of confidence from that?
JdV: Exactly. We’re not just focused on the result. We were up against the best in the world – the World Cup winners – and we came close to beating them at home, so that was good for us. They will still probably go on to win the tournament, but stranger things have happened in sport. We’re still holding thumbs for our chances, but if we don’t win the title, we at least want to get two good wins to finish.

KB: How big a blow is it for the All Blacks that Sonny Bill Williams is not available?
JdV: He’s a quality player and he brought a lot of confidence and skill to their midfield, on an individual basis. But Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith have been a partnership that has served them well for several years, they were probably the outstanding centre combination in world rugby.

KB: What have Argentina brought to the competition?
JdV: They’ve showed that they’re going to be great for the competition. They bring a new feeling, a bit of freshness to the tournament. They’ve been really good, they’ve definitely shown that they belong and we’ll wait and see how New Zealand and Australia do over there.

KB: Is there any chance of you playing in France at some stage in the future?
JdV: Never say never! If a good offer comes … I’ve always said I’d love to play professional rugby in France, just to be a part of the culture and experience the passion for the game there.

South Africa’s players believe in the game plan employed by coach Heyneke Meyer and the environment around the team allows them the latitude to disagree, Springbok captain Jean de Villiers said on Thursday.

Meyer has been criticised in South Africa for a rigid game plan that revolves around the forwards bashing the ball up to get over the gain line, with the backline generally being used to implement the kicking and territory games the Springboks have used in recent years.

South Africa won the first two tests of their series against England in June before drawing the third, and they won their opening Rugby Championship match against Argentina in Cape Town, without a four-try bonus point, before being held to a shock draw last weekend in Mendoza by the debutants in the southern hemisphere competition that was formerly known as the Tri-Nations.

“When you don’t live up to expectations then you will be criticised. But the important thing is that we believe in what we are doing, we are set on a game plan that we believe can produce winning rugby,” centre De Villiers told a news conference at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Thursday.

“We definitely don’t feel like it’s a dictatorship. Heyneke is a new coach trying to get his message across as to how he wants us to play. But we’re all grown-ups, if we disagree then we’ll stand up and say so. We believe in what the coach is trying to do, if that changes, then I believe our environment, the system the team operates in, allows us to have the space to express our views.”

While the Springboks were panned for playing one-dimensional, forward-dominated rugby against Argentina, De Villiers said he felt the backline had been more effective than they were given credit for.

“I’ve looked at the game again and I felt a bit better about it after that. A lot of positives can come out of that game, although there’s obviously lots to work on.

“I thought we attacked really nicely at times, we created space and now the goal is to get the ball into that space. We’re not always using the forwards to get momentum, sometimes we use them to take the ball up and then the next phase we’ll go wide.

“But we have to make sure we protect the ball out wide and not let the opposition spoil it at the ends of the field,” De Villiers said.

The 31-year-old veteran of 77 tests said discipline, the set-phases and adapting to the referee’s ruck interpretations were some of the areas that needed improvement ahead of the Australasian leg of their Rugby Championship campaign that features matches against Australia in Perth on September 8 and versus New Zealand in Dunedin on September 15.

“If we were a mediocre team, then everyone would be happy with our performances, but we believe that we’re a better team than we showed in Mendoza. So these games are an opportunity to step up as a team and show what we can produce.

“We need to learn from our experiences, we can’t make the same mistakes, and we are doing that – we improved from our game in Cape Town.

“But we’re at 50-60% of where we want to be, so obviously we have to improve. The margins are very small in test rugby and it’s the small things that make the difference,” De Villiers said.