THE FACT that Jean de Villiers survived sharing a couple of pints of Guinness with Munster icons Keith Wood, Anthony Foley, Mick Galwey and Peter Clohessy suggests that the rugby aspect of his fledgling Munster career will be a mere bagatelle in comparison.
On Saturday the South African World Cup winner managed to snaffle his first try for the Irish province, a score that was greeted with rapturous applause from the stands. It was a ovation for a player whom the Munster faithful have embraced without equivocation.
Standing in a corridor under the East Stand at Thomond Park, de Villiers preferred to focus on the team dynamic. “Yeah I think the thing that was more important than the try was playing at Thomond Park. It was a great occasion and we got the win and five points. That’s more important than a try, but it was good getting the try.”
On his arrival in Ireland the Springbok landed into a team struggling to find a rhythm and it was therefore no surprise that his initial impact was a little bit muted. His contribution, try aside, was more conspicuous at the weekend. “It’s getting better every week. I never expected to slot in from the start and be magical from the beginning. I always knew it would take some time and I think we’re getting there.
“I’m getting used to the structures and the players around me. I’m getting to know the body language of the players I’m playing with and reacting quicker to that. I’m getting there. Definitely not 100 per cent yet, but we’re striving for that and it’s still early in the season. Hopefully by the end of it we’ll be 100 per cent.”
Treviso’s excellent start didn’t worry de Villiers who paid tribute to the quiet assurance of Munster captain, Paul O’Connell. “It’s like any other game. It’s not the first time I’ve been in that situation (behind in a match); I’m sure it’s not the first time this team has been in that situation. Again I think the character came through by the way we came back.
“I think it was incredible and a lot must go to Paul as captain. His leadership is fantastic, he kept the guys together, we stuck to the plan and eventually we got the result. It’s all about what happens after 80 minutes. It’s (Munster) still a great team, no matter the results of the previous two weeks. It’s still quality players and the quality within the side is just fantastic.
“The form might not have been there for one or two weeks, but the class will be. I’m still enjoying it, still happy with my decision and I still believe it’s probably the best club in world rugby. Just look at their record. They’ve always made the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup, semi-final four times, runner-up twice, and champions twice. That’s not too shabby.”
So what of the try? “Sometimes you get the try, sometimes you don’t. It’s just about being in the right place at the right time, so I’m delighted to have got the try. I stole it from Paulie, but I think he deserved a try. It was great getting it, but the phases we went through before getting it just shows the quality within this team. That for me is the pleasing thing and going forward, it makes me excited.
“I think I always knew the first game at Thomond Park would be the acid test, so getting the try was great. I didn’t get that much ball today, and again it’s not always the guys carrying the ball or making the big tackles. It’s what you do off the ball and I think that was the message all week: work-rate, pass the ball and do the hard yards.”
De Villiers wasn’t oblivious to the team’s shortcomings, admitting the most disappointing aspect of the performance was “the 10 points we gave away early on. That set us back last week as well. It wasn’t great moves where they scrambled our defence, broke through and scored a beautiful try. It was easy tries we let in and the same thing happened last week.
“There is no problem with the structures that we’ve got. It comes down, I suppose, to working a bit harder, every single individual. We’ll get there. If we can get those tries out of it, then I think this team will go much better.”
