Steyn: 'I'd die for South Africa'
Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:35
Expect the unexpected. (c) Gallo
Springbok utility back Francois Steyn has broken his silence, saying that he would 'die for South Africa' - if given the chance to play for his country in the 2010 Tri-Nations.
Having been the subject of many press conferences and briefings this past week - after his long-awaited Bok recall - the Racing Metro ace will not feature for South Africa in next weekend's historic clash against the All Blacks in Soweto.
A quad-muscle injury - which, initially, was said to be an ankle injury - is the legitimate reason for his unavailability, but the young man unwittingly found himself at the centre of yet another Peter de Villiers tirade when the Bok coach publicly questioned his commitment to the Springbok cause.
However, in a telephonic interview - from Paris - with the Rapport newspaper, Steyn declared: "I'd die for South Africa."
The World Cup-winning inside centre - who has played all his recent Test rugby in the fullback position - added: "I have the heart to play for the Boks - I will die for my country on the field.
"I definitely want to play at next year's Rugby World Cup tournament - if I'm good enough - I will do everything to realise that."
It remains to be seen just what has happened with Steyn and the Bok coach for their relationship to reach such a low, but Steyn does seem determined to put it all behind him - should he get the opportunity against the Wallabies on August 28 and/or September 4.
"I am yet to be released by Racing Metro [to play for the Boks], and I can't just leave. I have a contract with the club, which I need to honour. I don't have a Springbok contract.
"If it depended on me entirely, nothing would keep me away from the Springbok team. I will live and die for the proud Springbok jersey and I definitely have the heart that is required to play for the Boks.
"Everybody that knows me, knows that I give everything to the team I play for," he added. "I want people to look back at me one day and say, 'Frans Steyn was a yster'."
Meanwhile, Steyn revealed that his last Test appearance - against Wales in Cardiff on June 5 - nearly landed him in hot water with Racing Metro, his Paris-based club in France's Top 14.
However, he has not spoken to the Bok coach since that game at the Millennium Stadium - an encounter which the Boks won 34-31.
"I just presumed that he necessary paperwork had been done. However, after travelling to South Africa - at my own expense - I heard that not everything had been done," he told Rapport.
"When I got back to France, [Racing Metro coach] Pierre Berbizier said they would not stand in my way of playing for South Africa, but that things needed to be done properly in the future and that all protocols had to be followed.
"Peter [de Villiers] told me on May 28, during an emergency meeting, that he would travel to France and sort everything out himself. However, he has not been to the club yet and I have not spoken to him since the Wales Test."
Steyn continued in conversation with the weekly Afrikaans newspaper: "I then heard after the Test [against Wales] that players based in Europe were not good enough for the Springboks because the tempo in the southern hemisphere was that much higher.
"At the end of the day, however, Racing Metro pay my salary and look after me well. I don't have a Springbok contract. And now I have to hear that I don't have the heart to play for the Boks."
The former Sharks ace concluded: "Despite everything, I will be the first guy on the plane the minute I get the necessary permission to travel to South Africa to play for the Boks.
"I phoned the coach [De Villiers] this past week and left a message on his cell phone. I assured him that I am still eager to play for the Boks."
Steyn, 23, has played thirty-seven Tests for the Boks since his debut against Ireland in 2006; scoring 89 points (five tries, five conversions, 15 penalties and three drop-goals) in the process.
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