Gavin Rich traces Paul de Villiers's extraordinary rise from relative unknown to Springbok standout across the first three rounds of the Nations Championship. Less than a year ago, a rugby-savvy observer was asking who this Stormers No 6 even was — and the Stormers' own coaching staff had privately expressed reservations about his readiness at the start of last season. What followed was one of the more rapid ascents in recent Bok history. De Villiers wasn't even in the matchday squad for the opening England test, only finding out he was starting on the morning of the game when Kolisi was ruled out. He delivered anyway — 46 minutes, six carries, 10 tackles, a 17-0 platform — and hasn't let go of the jersey since. By the Wales test he was carrying 16 times and bagging three turnovers en route to his first man-of-the-match award in green and gold. Rich's statistical breakdown across all three games makes the case that De Villiers is far more than the fetcher comparisons to Heinrich Brussow suggest — his carrying numbers and metres-per-carry figures tell a different story. With Kolisi expected back for the warm-up against Argentina ahead of the All Blacks series, Erasmus now faces a genuine selection dilemma at No 6.
Paul de Villiers has made Kolisi's return a selection headache
Gavin Rich charts De Villiers's rapid rise from matchday omission to Nations Championship standout, arguing his stats across three tests make him nearly impossible to drop — even with Kolisi returning for the All Blacks series.
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Buthelezi and Sadie called up as Springbok camp gets under way in Johannesburg
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Feinberg-Mngomezulu ankle injury puts Rugby Nations Championship opener in doubt
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