Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that Paul de Villiers is firmly in the Springboks' plans but has dismissed the prospect of the Stormers flank transitioning to hooker, instead suggesting he could develop into a hybrid option across the back row and midfield.
De Villiers made his mark during the July Tests when a hamstring injury to Siya Kolisi opened the door for him to start. He was named man of the match in the win over Wales in Durban and held the number six jersey for the opening Test of the Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand. With Kolisi returning to fitness, however, De Villiers has been absent from the matchday 23 for the second and third Tests of that series.
Speculation had mounted that De Villiers could follow clubmate Deon Fourie and Bulls loose forward Marco van Staden into a hooker-hybrid role, given his lineout-throwing ability. Erasmus moved to put that to rest.
"I don't think Paul is a guy who can play hooker; he can throw into the lineout really well, but he doesn't have that size," Erasmus said. "Marco is heavy like an ox's leg or a cement bag, and he is a solid guy who has done a lot of scrum work. Paul could definitely help us out with the lineouts."
Instead, Erasmus drew a parallel with André Esterhuizen's evolution as a squad asset, where the centre has been deployed at both 12 and flank. That flexibility saw Esterhuizen earn 10 Test caps in 2024 alone after managing just three the year before, and he is in line for his 34th cap in Saturday's third Greatest Rivalry Test in Soweto.
On Kolisi, Erasmus was emphatic that the 35-year-old captain is not being managed out of the picture. "Siya is 35 and has played about 50 minutes in total; all 50 of those minutes, he has been productive," Erasmus said. "We can't just throw players away because they are getting older, especially if they are producing like Siya produces every bloody game – and he is captain."
Erasmus confirmed De Villiers remains on the Springboks' radar regardless. "Paul has a bright future. Paul is on our radar, and he could be more of a hybrid player like Andre Esterhuizen, where he could play a little of 12 and six."