Lion-tamer De Villiers ready to prove his worth at Munster

JEAN DE VILLIERS last night laid it on the line.

For years, De Villiers has tested himself against the best players in the Southern Hemisphere and come out best.

Now, it’s time to move on, and prove himself in a new and totally different environment, starting with Saturday’s Magners League game at the RDS, when Munster’s big-name signing goes head to head with Leinster Lions Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy.

It is the mission of the 28-year-old blond-haired giant to convince this side of the world that he is just as good a player as he appeared when playing a key role in South Africa’s Test series victory over the Lions.

“It’s always good when you can take on the top guys in world rugby, it’s what we play the game for, to test yourself against the top teams and top players and try and prove yourself against those guys. Either you stand up and are counted or you fail the test.

“For the last few years, I’ve been testing myself against the best players in the Southern Hemisphere in the Super 14 and Tri-Nations and now it’s the Northern Hemisphere.

“There are many top quality centres around and I don’t think they come much better than Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy. They are quality players in a quality back line and we will definitely be tested.

“It’s not just O’Driscoll and D’Arcy. Rob Kearney impressed me on the Lions tour. I thought he was phenomenal in the second Test. I hadn’t seen much of him before then but he’s obviously one to look out for this weekend. Luke Fitzgerald is also a quality player, Isa Nacewa is another I’ve come across playing Super 14. It seems Shane Horgan has fallen out of favour in the Irish set-up but he’s another quality player. And that’s only the back line.”

De Villiers is no stranger to the peculiar demands imposed by derby matches having toiled long and hard but without a whole lot of success in the cause of Western Province.

“I can relate to the Munster-Leinster rivalry,” he said. “It’s probably like Western Province taking on the Bulls. A big North v South Derby. We haven’t beaten the Bulls in quite a while. I know that it means a lot for the guys to beat Leinster. It will be a top priority for us. We have had two good sessions today and we will be going into the game with a good attitude and hopefully getting a good result.”

De Villiers is confident that having a full 80 minutes at Musgrave Park on Sunday last will be a big help at the RDS and believes he should have little trouble in adjusting to the contrasting styles of the game on either side of the rugby world.

“The game stays the same no matter where it is played,” he declared.

“You need to do the basics. Obviously there are small things and structures within the Munster squad that I need to get used to. Communication is a problem at times but I’m getting the hang of that as well.’’