De Villiers: Sevens unbelievably tough now

Jean de Villiers is no stranger to Cape Town.

Not only did he spend large chunks of his illustrious career there with Super Rugby outfits the Stormers and Western Province, but also as captain of the Springboks.

However when World Rugby caught up with the 34-year-old at Cape Town Stadium he was embracing an entirely new spectacle in the picturesque South African town. Last weekend was the inaugural HSBC Cape Town Sevens which took place at the Town Stadium, and with packed out stands it was an event to savour.

“It’s the first time I have actually watched a Sevens tournament live and I am sure it’s the same buzz at the other venues as well,” said De Villiers. “Being here in Cape Town makes it quite special for me and I think the turnout has been awesome. If we continue like this I am sure we will have it like this for a very long time.”

 While it may be De Villiers’ first time watching sevens, he is well aware of the game. Back in 2001/02 he played an entire season for the Blitzboks, helping them to second in the series, as well as being part of the South Africa side to go home with bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2002.

“It’s a fantastic game and I really loved the one season that I did on the circuit,” he said. “Back then I think we had 12 or 14 stops so it’s actually cut down a little bit. It goes all over the world and just making the game a global game is fantastic."

With Rio 2016 on the horizon, this year’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series has opened the door to a whole host of South African 15s players. So far we’ve seen the likes of Francois Hougaard and Juan de Jongh making the step up with success, and having played both formats De Villiers is well aware of the levels of fitness required to perform on the world sevens circuit.

“It’s brutal. It’s 14 minutes of non-stop running, as well as a lot of contact in between,” he said. “You have to be at your very best. The skill set that you need for this game is of a high standard. If you drop the ball it usually turns out to be five or seven points against you so you can’t afford to make mistakes. The problem is once you get tired you begin to make mistakes, so the key is to try and not get tired so you can avoid those mistakes. It’s a tough thing to do though!”

Having announced his retirement from Test rugby after sustaining an injury in the Rugby World Cup, De Villiers now runs out for Leicester Tigers. Yet, is there a sevens comeback on the horizon?

“If I could turn back time I would have loved to! To see the skills of these guys is quite unbelievable but I think I would be a little bit out of my depth!”

     

Author: 
WorldRugby