The excitement for the week ahead with the Springboks facing the Barbarians and the SA ‘A’ team taking on Zimbabwe was palpable in the national camp on Monday as loose forward Paul de Villiers addressed the media at their first media conference of the week in Johannesburg.
De Villiers, a former Junior Springbok captain, was delighted to be part of the expanded national squad for the important encounters and said he has thoroughly enjoyed his time in camp thus far.
“It's only been a week, but it’s been awesome, and I’ve learned a lot,” said De Villiers.
“We have great players in the squad, who we are all learning a lot from, so it's a perfect scenario. We also have good coaches who have been great at giving us advice.”
Asked what the main differences for him personally have been between playing provincial rugby and being in the Springbok set-up, he said: “I think the training standards have been a massive thing. You are competing against guys that also play for the Springboks, and all the players want to be here, so I think the intensity of the training sessions is one of the main differences.”
While De Villiers admitted that he was experiencing a mixture of nerves and excitement for the weekend, he refused to look too far ahead and said: “I wouldn't say the penny has dropped. For me, the main thing will be to get the job done on the field, and I’m excited, although there are some nerves. The other stuff obviously comes after that, but that's not where the focus lies at this stage.”
“We’re sitting here because the coaches saw what we did for our franchises. They just expect us to keep doing that and work even harder. If I get an opportunity this weekend, it will be awesome, regardless of which team I play for."
“My focus isn’t on taking someone else’s role. It’s about continuing to do what got me here and working hard on the things I do well. Whether it’s against the Barbarians or Zimbabwe, I’m just excited to get onto the field, contribute to the system and do my best for the team.”