De Villiers: 'Anything to get that win'
Thu, 08 May 2008 16:16
Atta boy: De Villiers and Bobo celebrate another try
Stormers captain Jean de Villiers is hoping that his team can focus on their task at hand against the Waratahs in their pressure Super 14 clash on Saturday.
The crucial match is eagerly awaited, and the Cape Town faithful are expected to turn up at Newlands in their droves on Saturday. Both the Stormers and the 'Tahs will be desperate to win, especially with only one round-robin match remaining after this week, and a semifinal spot so close at hand.
De Villiers revealed his feelings on the upcoming match to rugby365.com, and said that he hoped that a packed and delirious Newlands would greet them before the match.
It will be great if we can fill the stands," said a pensive De Villiers, clearly aware of the importance he carries in his role as captain.
"Obviously we're not in charge of that. We're more focusing on what we want to do on the field on Saturday than what's going on in the stands.
"We've had a good outcome for all our games, and if we can get it, it would be fantastic to have our last home game in the round-robin stages in front of a sell-out," said the skipper.
There has been conjecture over the influence of the crowd on the players, especially since the Australian Super 14 teams aren't used to such big crowds and such a Colosseum-like atmosphere that a full house at Newlands provides.
De Villiers reckoned that it was a debatable point, but felt at the same time that it was a familiar atmosphere for the home players.
"I think it depends from player to player. You try to cut out those extras during the game, and just focus on what you want to achieve on the field.
"For me, it's always nice to play in front of a nice crowd. Some people feel influenced and they're not used to it, and concentrate more on the crowd.
"Especially with Newlands, the stands are so close to the field, it actually feels as if the fans are on top of the field and on top of the players, it can influence you. But we're used to it, and hopefully it can affect them."
The skipper will be up against somewhat of an unknown quantity in Waratahs youngster Rob Horne, who will team up with Tom Carter in the 'Tahs centre.
Horne has made his debut only recently for the Waratahs, and only boasts a handful of Super caps.
The Springbok centre remains cautious though, and plays down the fact that he has the upper hand in terms of experience.
"They've been doing well. Carter has been playing since the start of the season. He's very solid, a good defensive player, and gets them a lot of go-forward ball from set phases.
"The new youngster that they are playing - I haven't seen the side, I don't know if the guy has been selected yet - but the guy that played on the weekend, Horne, is obviously still young and runs good angles at quite a bit of pace, and I think he's an exciting young player.
"As a combination they've been functioning as well. But we've had some tough challenges this year from a centre combination point of view, and hopefully we can put up a good performance against them again this weekend, and be solid in the midfield from a Stormers point of view.
"It will be a challenge. I never underestimate any of my opponents, and I see every single game as a challenge and try to be better than the opposition.
"Hopefully I can do that on the weekend as well," warned De Villiers.
De Villiers has received much praise for the way the Stormers backline has performed so far this season. But De Villiers is quick to remind people of the contribution from midfield partner and outside centre Gcobani Bobo.
The skipper pointed out that he and Bobo were not afraid to swap positions temporarily in a game if the situation called for it.
"The whole season we've tried to move around a lot, and I [we've adopted] a 'horses for courses' type of attitude in defence and attack.
"Maybe Bobes [Bobo], using more of his setting-up [game], and me running out with maybe a bit more pace - in that way we're really benefitting from both strong points in our games.
"I still want to play [number] 12, and I'm playing most of the rugby there, even though in some situations I do play outside centre."
Getting back to the match on Saturday, De Villiers felt that a tense and tactical clash would be in store - but that wouldn't necessarily equate to a dull encounter.
"I think it will be an exciting game. At the end of the day, you always want to play rugby to win, and we'll do anything in our ability to get that win.
"To think it will be boring is the wrong way to look at it.
"Obviously it all depends on the weather, but I reckon it will be a tactical game, and hopefully we can just edge them and even if it's just one point, get the win."
More than 45,000 screaming Stormers fans should make that same point come Saturday.
By Phil Coetzer
