8 November 2026
Paul de Villiers has said he will play in any position required by the Springbok management. The 23-year-old DHL Stormers loose-forward, who has enjoyed a breakthrough international season since his debut in July, said he remains focused on squad success over personal positional preferences as head coach Rassie Erasmus explores utility options.
The discussion around his versatility follows recent backline injuries, including a notable layoff for André Esterhuizen. Erasmus revealed that De Villiers has trained in multiple roles, including emergency cover at scrumhalf and inside centre. The dynamic forward recently led his franchise before returning to the national camp, noting ahead of playing off the bench in Saturday’s 66-7 win against Italy in Turin that “it was a big privilege captaining the Stormers, standing in for Ruhan Nel, just awesome to be there and have other leaders to back me up.”
De Villiers said that his primary objective is maintaining his spot within the highly competitive national set-up rather than worrying about future transitions. “For the moment, I’m playing for the Springboks, and that’s a massive privilege," De Villiers said. "It’s about staying in this group, keeping my head down, staying humble and getting a chance to play. We’ll see what the future holds, but you must be part of the group to even get that opportunity. So the focus is to try to stay here and play good rugby.”
When questioned about a potential move to the backline to solve the team's injury issues, he simply stated, “I’ll contribute wherever I must.” For now, his focus is on trying to nail down a specialist starting role when there is a glut of outstanding No. 6 talent, among them Marco van Staden and Siya Kolisi. The internal competition within the loose trio remains a major driver of performance for the world champions.
The depth in the loose-forward department ensures that no player can afford to become complacent. “We push each other a lot, whether we’re playing, not playing or on the bench," De Villiers explained. "We pick each other up and push each other to get better for what’s needed on the weekend. All of us bring something different, and I think the coaches look at that when they select the team, based on what they need on the field.”
Management has indicated that deploying the flanker in the backline remains an emergency contingency plan rather than a permanent tactical switch. De Villiers remains fully prepared to fulfil whatever tactical role the coaching staff demands on match day. “You must be able to take your opportunity and give it your best," he concluded. "Sometimes even the best players don’t play, because there’s someone else they need for the job. So just be ready, be available and give your all.”