Cape Town – Springbok captain Jean De Villiers enjoyed some much-needed game time on Saturday and said that he was “ecstatic” with the progress he has made since picking up a potentially career-ending injury.
De Villiers completed 60-minutes of Western Province’s Currie Cup warm-up match against the Pumas in Paarl on Saturday and even though his team lost 19-6, he insisted that he made great strides from both a physical and mental perspective.
“It is still a long way to go but I’m ecstatic with what I got through; the load that I got through, getting a lot of contact, making some tackles, getting tackled on the knee,” said De Villiers who also featured briefly when the Springboks hosted a World XV team in Cape Town a fortnight ago.
Following a weekend where a lack of experience was singled out as one of the main reasons the Springboks lost (24-20) to Australia in Brisbane, the news of De Villiers’ improved physical state should serve as some form of encouragement.
“We’re already without experienced players such as Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Duane Vermeulen and Willem Alberts, but we always wanted to use the Tests in the Rugby Championship to see what depth we have and there will probably be more changes next week,” Springbok coach Heyneke said after the loss.
Meyer could, however, have even less experienced players at his disposal in build-up to Saturday’s Rugby Championship hit-out against the world champions, the All Blacks, in Johannesburg after stand-in skipper Victor Matfield limped off with a knee injury early in Saturday’s Test in Brisbane.
While a final decision on Matfield’s availability will be made later this week, De Villiers has targeted another Currie Cup warm-up fixture as he looks to get back to his best.
“I’m hoping to be involved against the Kings next week again, in another Currie Cup warm-up game, and (we’ll) see how it goes,” De Villiers said after the match.
“After that game (Kings) we will reassess the situation and see where I’m at from a performance point of view and make a decision accordingly.
“Physically I’ve recovered. I’ve got the go-ahead from the surgeons and the medical staff, and now it is about mentally making that decision knowing that you are through it and past the injury.
“Today (Saturday) I think I made that mental step and forgot about the knee while I was playing.
“I’m very happy with where I’m at the moment.” - ANA