Paul de Villiers is set to make his senior international debut this weekend, with the 23-year-old loose forward in line to feature either for the Springboks against the Barbarians or for SA 'A' against Zimbabwe in Gqeberha.
De Villiers, who captained the Junior Springboks at the 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship, arrives in the Bok camp off a standout Stormers season that yielded 19 turnovers, 209 tackles, seven tries and four consecutive man-of-the-match awards before their URC semifinal exit.
Despite building his reputation as one of the most destructive jackallers in the URC, De Villiers is keen to resist being defined solely by his work at the breakdown. "I've kind of formed into the fetcher role — that's hopefully not the only thing that I contribute," he told reporters at the Springboks' Johannesburg press conference. "I still don't like to categorise myself only as a fetcher. I like to contribute in different ways."
With Kwagga Smith sidelined through injury, De Villiers is well-placed to fill the unconventional forward role Smith has occupied in the Bok system, though the Stormers loose forward insists that is not his driving motivation. "My focus isn't on taking someone else's role, but to keep on doing what I did for the Stormers and keep on working hard."
He described his first week in camp as an accelerated learning environment. "We've got awesome players in the squad that I can learn a lot from. For me, it's a perfect scenario — good coaches, and players that are keen to give advice and knowledge to us newer ones."