From ‘spectator’ to Springbok in a matter of hours: how Paul de Villiers slotted easily into the team

Young loose forward Paul de Villiers woke up on Saturday morning expecting to watch the Springbok versus England Test from the sidelines, but a few hours later he was handed his first cap as replacement for captain Siya Kolisi.

Swapping out 103 Tests for a rookie, and then bringing in Cameron Hanekom, with one cap, on the other flank for the vastly experienced Pieter-Steph du Toit, who switched to lock to take over from Eben Etzebeth, could have created a major vulnerability in the home team.

But the two youngsters, who played together for the Junior Boks, slipped into the Springbok juggernaut with ease, performing well in the first half before being replaced at halftime.

De Villiers, 23, praised the national team coaches for preparing them so well so he could get drafted in at the 11th hour.

“We attended two alignment camps,” the Stormers flanker said after helping the Boks to a 45-21 win over England.

“We spent two or three weeks here training. The standard of training is almost the same as Test level, so we are used to this standard and the coaches prep us so well.

“Even though I didn’t know I was playing until this morning, I was ready because of the way that they make us ready.”

But De Villiers admitted getting the news just hours before kickoff — Kolisi underwent a late fitness test after hurting a hamstring in the captain’s run on Friday — was a double-edged sword.

“It’s a bit of a curveball,” he said, adding with a smile: “A nice curveball. I didn’t have the week to stress about it, but it was so special.

“The closer we got to Ellis Park, the more real it got and to see what it means to the people of South Africa is insane ...

“It’s hard because you want to take it in, but you also want to stay focused so I just tried to manage that balance as best as possible.

“I think you still get the nerves in your 50th game, but ja, my nerves were probably a bit more than the rest of the guys.”

From the moment he was named in the starting XV his teammates made him feel welcome, including Kolisi. “He helped me a lot and made me feel a bit calm. The whole squad and the way they actually back and make you feel comfortable is awesome …

“They did well to keep us newer ones calm and keep that lead, [even] when England pushed back a bit.”

Damian Willemse, who had a blinder at fullback, also praised the coaches for the way they had prepared the inexperienced players.

“A guy like Paul, we thought he wasn’t going to play, but when it came, he was ready. That speaks volumes to the team and what we’re building here, the team culture here. I’m very proud of him.

“Proud of BJ [Dixon] and Cammy [Hanekom] as well. I think he had a very good Test. We just helped each other.”

My role tonight was basically to be decisive and give the forwards a good quality ball going forward. It all started up front.

—  Damian Willemse

Willemse was good with the boot and solid under the high balls, but he gave credit to his teammates.

“When I play with a guy like Manie [Libbok] inside, Damian de Allende in the centre, Jesse [Kriel], who’s a threat as well, it makes your job a little bit easier.

“And the forwards really gave us a very good platform to launch off. I think I just got my opportunities and used them.

“My role tonight was basically to be decisive and give the forwards a good quality ball going forward. It all started up front.”

England’s fightback from 0-17 to 14-17 at halftime triggered memories of last year when the Boks blew a 22-0 lead to lose to Australia at Ellis Park, but Willemse said they had learned their lesson.

“We spoke about it at half time, we spoke about it before the match, and I think we definitely learned from last year.”