WP close in on De Villiers
16 Feb 2010
Western Province and the Stormers have signalled their intent on signing Jean de Villiers on his return to South Africa later this year.
Former captain De Villiers is currently playing for Irish outfit Munster, but will come back to his home country in order to win a spot in the 2011 World Cup squad. Although De Villiers is technically a free agent from June this year, the Western Province Rugby Union have stated their intentions.
‘WP Rugby noted Jean de Villiers’ media statement on the Munster website yesterday, confirming that he will return to South Africa at the end of the European season,’ said WP Rugby MD Rob Wagner.
‘Jean is a world class player who has excelled on the international stage. He has played all his rugby in the Cape having represented both WP and the Stormers. We will be contacting him to learn more of his intentions and explore opportunities.’
In a recent interview with SA Rugby magazine, De Villiers acknowledged it’s a professional era, but admitted he can’t really see himself playing for another South African province.
169 Comments
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16 Feb 2010, 22:34 pm
1 each half time….
go man u !
16 Feb 2010, 22:35 pm
@carol:
A 28-year-old Cape Town man has just won the Mr. World *** pageant. He is called Carl van den Berg from Sea Point.
Quite a manly name?
16 Feb 2010, 22:36 pm
@Tomsta: ja….some valid points there
but he will comeback to wp…of that i am sure.
but we need a prop here….
and LW loss will be felt …
16 Feb 2010, 22:37 pm
@Robzim: 102
Thank the merciful angels he is not from Clifton!!
Another 400 m up the road and some okes on the other blog sites would have died laughing!!!
16 Feb 2010, 22:38 pm
@grant10:
Did you watch the Luke Watson/Butch James video that Elliot2 mentioned yesterday?
16 Feb 2010, 22:39 pm
@grant10: Oh I thought that Gilbert was a Durban name, like Clifford. Those Modern Dance names.
16 Feb 2010, 22:39 pm
@Robzim: *** Pagent, Bwahahahahah now that is good.
Have to eat, see you guys!!
Grant, not peanut butter sandwiches although I too am partial!!
16 Feb 2010, 22:39 pm
Scholes missed it completely, hit his other leg and trickled in. Luckyest goal ever. Typical Man u flukery.
16 Feb 2010, 22:41 pm
@Robzim: Carol V Berg is not so manly to me.
16 Feb 2010, 22:41 pm
@grant10:
104
LoL, he might not be from Clifton but is probably a honorary citizen of 3rd Beach by now.
16 Feb 2010, 22:42 pm
@grant10: It is rumored that he is coming to The Lions to be backline coach as well. So he will have a pleyr coach type role, which will see him through RWC and tehn he will start coaching in earnest.
With him and Carlos we will be good.
16 Feb 2010, 22:42 pm
@Robzim: 105
No Rob….
16 Feb 2010, 22:43 pm
@grant10: Come on you guys. I know you like Luke, think he’s good, etc, etc. But the Stormers loose trio were outstanding and Duane Vermulen got man of the match. WTF?
16 Feb 2010, 22:44 pm
@SodaJoe:
hehehe, sharp!
16 Feb 2010, 22:44 pm
You guys writing of Peter Grant giving him the same phobia’s and self doubt that they hang around Ruan Pienaar’s head.
This Lionel Cronje looks like another Gaffie du Toit to me. Whole lot of promise but does he have the spunk? Saffa’s love kicking fly halves thats why the running variety never make it. Peter grant starting to believe all the negative press they all laying on him like here on this site.
16 Feb 2010, 22:44 pm
@SodaJoe: 111
Swop JDV for Heinke anyday…..juan de jongh deserves a run …
16 Feb 2010, 22:46 pm
@skopskiet: 115
Well skop he is given another chance Sat….so lets see how he goes…L Cronje a lot more than a kicking 10 from what i have seen.
16 Feb 2010, 22:48 pm
Stormers went awol after half time like Bob would say, no direction known, like a complete unknown, lie a rolling stone. Zero coherence, Lions were running rings around them. Lucky we got those 2 first half tries else would have been panic stations second half.
16 Feb 2010, 22:48 pm
@skopskiet: I can’t comment as I only saw him as a sub last week. But there is a tendency to say that guys are world beaters when they’ve hardly played a game.
By the way what has happened to Nick Koster?
16 Feb 2010, 22:50 pm
@SodaJoe:
113
They were good, but imo all 3 are very similar type of players and the balance will be better if they have someone who is a bit of a lateral thinker/”linkman” in the mix.
I think a player like Koster could also add another dimension – apparently he is another 4-6 weeks from playing.
16 Feb 2010, 22:54 pm
Grant had so many chances but he has failed to improve his kicking game and imo his distribution skills is nothing to write home about either.
To me he is only a journeyman flyhalf whose best asset is his tackling.
16 Feb 2010, 22:55 pm
@Robzim: Is Koster as good as everyone says he is? If he is he needs to go and play somewhere where he can be an 8′th Man – in SA or Europe or Australia. Playing on the wing was and always will be the height of stupidity.
16 Feb 2010, 22:56 pm
@Robzim: Robie I have to take this criticim with a pinch of salt. You’re a guy who thinks Willem De Waal is the answer.
I am with Skops – Grant is a very good flyhalf, international class. He is however a better 12.
16 Feb 2010, 22:58 pm
Fkn Leeds are going to break my heart this year. Again. I can see it. 0-1 Walsall up.
16 Feb 2010, 23:00 pm
1-1. Thank you god.
16 Feb 2010, 23:02 pm
@SodaJoe:
All I can say about Koster is that he was absolutely brilliant at school level – one of the best schoolboy talents I have ever seen.
I agree, he should not play wing again and must try and make the Stormer team as a no 8 or otherwise go to another Franchise where he can get game time in that position.
16 Feb 2010, 23:05 pm
Peter Grant played for Pieter de Villiers in 2007 in the Bok development side and should have been incumbent fly half straight into 2008 season. If they would have done that and played January instead of Fdp in 2008 and Grant instead of Butch 2 things would have happened. We wouldn’t have come stone last in the 3N. We wouldn’t have gone into this kick and chase malignancy, and Peter Grant would have realised the potential that was denied him and which he now doubts he ever had.
Poor player management and piss poor decision taking which cost us a whole season of realignment. Fdp, Butch, Percy, Jdv and F. Steyn proceeded to lose 19-0 at Newlands because of it.
16 Feb 2010, 23:06 pm
Koster must get fit….and go back to 8
IMO
16 Feb 2010, 23:06 pm
see how passionate we are about rugby. 1 week into the new season and all sorts of comments made on potential of players
whats PDV have to say on the new attitude of the refs wrt to breakdown rules, etc?
16 Feb 2010, 23:10 pm
@Robzim: he will struggle to get game time with vermuelen there. he might have to go to Melbourne Rebels.
@skopskiet: be serious, no coach in their right mind would drop a talent like fdp to try and redirect the state of play. PDV is making progress and im especially looking fwd to seeing what he comes up with for this test season. there is noise that these new ‘rules’ will be applied for incoming tests in june.
16 Feb 2010, 23:10 pm
Rooney header 2-1 United
16 Feb 2010, 23:10 pm
@SodaJoe:
123
That is fair (the pinch of salt part).
The moment the Stormers lose a match they will pick Willem again. And he will win matches for them. Mark my words.
Many people do not realise that he is a better distributor who has much better ball skills, tactical awareness and flair for the game than Grant will ever have. They only see the kicking part and do not realise that he is playing according to a game plan that was/is designed by Rassie and Alister.
Conrad Hoffman and L Cronje are also potentially much better flyhalves than Grant imo.
16 Feb 2010, 23:14 pm
@Robzim:
Hoffman has the same silky skills as Ruan Pienaar and probably kicks better.
16 Feb 2010, 23:14 pm
@skopskiet: 131
yES!!!
lOVE IT!
16 Feb 2010, 23:17 pm
that 10 spot giving me sleepless nights….
16 Feb 2010, 23:20 pm
in 2008 Fdp and Butch James were our absolute Achilles Heel’s. Should never have played either of them. January won the game in Dunedin then got dropped for Perth and Fdp and Butch lost us that one then Cape Town and Durban. Fdp is no genius imo and if were me Pretorius and Pienaar or Grant would be half backs.
What did Fdp and M. Steyn achieve in Europe this last Eoyt? More up n under kick and chase one dimensional rubbish.
Only time bok’s looked like anything resembling a running rugby team was when Adams and Pienaar were running the back line against Saracens with Rose in able support until Hougaard came on and produced more Fdp clone trash and proceeded to undo all the positives and stuff it all up again.
Another Rooney header ManU 3-1
16 Feb 2010, 23:22 pm
rob and wikkelspies….a passionate love affair
me and smit….the exact opposite….
amazing how we al have our favorites….1 mans drink is another mans perfume…
Skop and FDP springs to mind
Justrubys aversion to Ruan Pienaar…
LOL
16 Feb 2010, 23:28 pm
@grant10:
LoL, that is how it goes.
Some more examples:
Tacitus and the whole blue bull team
Carol and Percy
Puma and Francie (sic)
Sarah and the whole Stormer team
Soda and Leeds United (WTF)
16 Feb 2010, 23:28 pm
2-3
16 Feb 2010, 23:29 pm
greatest fc in the world – 3
sorry eyeties – 1
hope hater hasn’t slit her wrists.
on a serious note….
robzim, i am right behind you…peter grant is very ordinary.
has always been, even at maritzburg college.
sorry eyeties got one back — 3-1 to manu
16 Feb 2010, 23:30 pm
Seedorf gets one back 2-3
16 Feb 2010, 23:32 pm
@charo:
sorry 3-2
16 Feb 2010, 23:44 pm
138 – Hey Rob, there was one point when it was Grant and Francie (that was until Jake’s Barbarians Match) !!
Actually, Percy and Carol does have a ring to it!
16 Feb 2010, 23:46 pm
@charo: Hiya Charo, what’s new in your neck of Africa?
16 Feb 2010, 23:47 pm
Peter Grant is no flash fly half, some might say he’s ordinary. But the real issue is not Grant but the style and game plan we play to. Correct coaching would have identified players strengths and weaknesses and brought out positives instead of relying on negatives. Bok rugby gas reverted to negative rugby to win ugly and win without the ball.
We were playing far more enterprizing rugby in 2008 except were not converting it to tries until Ellis Park and Twickenham. Then we got hijacked back into stereotype negative kick n chase mode and reverted to 2007 type. So we won some prestige but lost our rugby soul, now lets see if we can get it back again. Somehow playing our 2007 dead beats I doubt it.
16 Feb 2010, 23:55 pm
@carol:
I remember about Grant and Frans – it was quite intense
Carol and Percy sounds quite alright, at least much better than Carol and Bakkies!!
17 Feb 2010, 00:02 am
carol would do well to snare bakkies quite a catch I must say…
17 Feb 2010, 00:04 am
@Robzim: Intense, however Grant was gracious enough to recognise that was not Fransies finest hour (ok 80 mins)!!
I still have a bit of a crush on Bakkies!!
Rob and Eva….! Hahahahah
Whats with the ‘Shaky’ nick name Soda has given you btw?
17 Feb 2010, 00:05 am
@grant10: With incumbents like Fourie, JdV and Habana hardly allows new talent like Juan deJongh to get experience and game time. WP don’t need JdV I’m afraid wherein the Sharks have non-existent talent at 12. I wonder how a JdV/Murray combo would work.
17 Feb 2010, 00:10 am
@skopskiet: I sort of agree there but we’ve been playing like this for years. What is needed is a culture change and the golden – do not kick ball if you’re outside your own half, PASS IT! Ok Boks repeat after me – gee die bal vir Bryan, gee die bal vir Bryan *cue weird ukelele music*.
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