De Villiers ready for 'Mossie' challenge
Fri, 16 May 2008 15:27
Jean de Villiers will be up against the familiar figure of Bok centre partner Jaque Fourie on Saturday when the Stormers clash with the Lions for a place in the Super 14 semifinals.
The Stormers skipper spoke about the upcoming must-win clash at Ellis Park, a match that will go a long way in deciding the degree of success the Stormers have attained in this campaign.
The Cape franchise expect a really tough battle from the Lions, who have seemingly turned the corner with respect to their form and execution, recording an impressive 33-27 win over the Chiefs last weekend.
De Villiers echoed coach Rassie Erasmus' sentiments about the expected challenge from the revitalised Gautengers, and said that he foresaw a very difficult task ahead.
"Like I said last week and the week before, and probably the whole of the Super 14, it's a challenging competition, and you get to play against probably the best players in world rugby," he said.
"We've had some tough challenges this year, and this weekend will be nothing easier.
"It will be tough for us, but like I've said before, I think what we're concentrating on is my combination with Gcobani [Bobo]. It's been going well, and I'd like to end off the last of the round-robin stages with a good performance.
De Villiers looked ahead to his battle in midfield with fellow World Cup-winner Jaque Fourie, and smiled at the tricky prospect of going up against a player that he knows so well, and vice versa.
Of course De Villiers and Fourie were the first-choice Springbok centre pairing for some time under Jake White, before De Villiers tore his bicep muscle during the World Cup.
"I reckon there will be a couple of chirps, but more jokes than chirps," quipped De Villiers.
"[Fourie] is a quality player. Even though he's played only one game with [Walter] Venter, I think they did well last weekend, and I think that was one of the reasons they could beat the Chiefs as well.
"We have played together a lot, but it will be a tough challenge and for me is just about getting the upper hand on him.
"That will be the big thing. If every player on the team can do that, we should get a good result.
"He won't give in and I won't give in, so that's what rugby is all about. Off the field we'll be friends again, but on the field it's all about getting the job done.
When asked about their semifinal prospects, the Stormers talisman once again stated that his team were trying to focus on the task at hand, rather than the consequences of the match.
"I don't think we're thinking that far," revealed the skipper.
"We're just happy to be in the position that we are. We've worked really hard to get here, if you look at the way we've been struggling the last couple of years.
"To be in this position is fantastic for us. There's such a will in the team to really perform and do well. We know that we have the opportunity now to get into a semi, and you don't get these opportunities a hell of a lot.
"So we have to use it and play good rugby on Saturday, and we still believe that if we stick to our structures and do what we've been doing all year, the bonus point and the four tries will take care of itself.
"We believe we've got a quality team together. it won't be easy this weekend, but we believe we can do it.
"Like I said, it's much better than sitting on the other side and not having a chance at all," he continued.
Rassie Erasmus has paid homage throughout the season to the crowds that have packed Newlands in their droves. De Villiers felt much the same way, and said that the players were always trying to give something back to the fans for their great support.
"To get that amount of people at Newlands in that conditions was just unbelievable. For us as players it means a hell of a lot," admitted the centre.
"The only way we can sort of return the favour is by playing good rugby and winning on the weekend, and hoping to maybe get a home semifinal. That will really mean a helluva lot [for us], and will really mean a lot for the fans as well.
"At this stage we can only thank them for coming out in that amount of numbers and supporting us."
The skipper also spoke about the situation of chasing a certain points goal within a single game, and the fact that the Stormers know roughly what they have to do to get through to the semifinals.
De Villiers felt that it was a good thing that the team had a clear target to focus on for the clash against the Lions, but that the Sharks had the advantage in that regard, considering they play the final round-robin game of 2008, and will know exactly what their semifinal requirements are at match time.
"I think it does make it a little bit easier to sort of know what to do. But then still, the Sharks have to play [later], so they're probably in the best position at this stage.
"But at the end of the day you still have to go out and do it hey. Mentally you have to be in the right space to win the match and to play good rugby.
"Mentally I think the biggest challenge this week is to get our heads right and know that we still have to go out there and perform and do the job on Saturday.
"The Lions definitely won't just lie down and give it to us."
The big plus for the Stormers is that their fate is still in their own hands. They have to now go and execute their game plan properly on Saturday, if they want to make all the good work of the past three months count for something.
By Phil Coetzer
