De Villiers plays down ‘bad blood’ fears

SOUTH AFRICAN coach Peter de Villiers has scotched suggestions that there will be an element of bad blood between his players and some of their Irish counterparts this Saturday.

In his recent autobiography, Springbok captain John Smit claimed that there was an “unnecessary amount of niggle, chirping, pulling and pushing” during last summer’s Lions series.

The front row forward claimed that was attributable to the tourists’ decision to reject an offer of post-match dressing-room drinks which meant that the relationship between the sides was “never better than hostile”.

Sixteen of the 45 players who were called up by the Lions at one stage or another were Irish and Saturday’s test will be the first time the world champions have faced any of the four home nations since the summer series which they won 2-1.

“I think the bad blood was only with you guys (the media),” said de Villiers yesterday. “There was no bad blood with us. We extended to them, like we do in all our other games, to have the opposing team come to our dressing room and we provide them with a beer or two so the guys could mingle. They never accepted that invitation.

“I don’t think there was anything extraordinary on the field of play that could cause bad blood. Again, when you stand and look at things, most of the reports were overrated over here. Guys were looking for things that non-existed. For us, we are here to do a job. The blood thing is nothing at all that can affect us.”

When pressed further on the point, de Villiers answered: “Maybe they don’t like South African beer,” but this isn’t the first time he has glossed over a potentially divisive issue.

Last June he declared Schalk Burger had done nothing untoward when video evidence clearly showed him eye-gouging Luke Fitzgerald during the second Lions test in Pretoria.

Ireland defence coach Les Kiss has also sought to play down any talk of payback among the Irish Lions who may provide up to a dozen of Declan Kidney’s starting XV in Croke Park.

“That has not been mentioned much by the boys. We have gathered here today and there will be a lot of energy for this one but, to their credit, they have not mentioned it,” said the Australian.

In fairness, for someone who has been known to drop the odd verbal bombshell in his time, de Villiers sought to disarm potential incendiaries yesterday rather than toss them around.

With eight players vying for attention on the treatment table, he could have taken a very different approach. For a start, he could have railed against the length of the season which will finally end for his players at Croke Park.

Not a bit of it.

“When you guys come to South Africa everyone squeals, ‘it is a long season’. It was the same with the Lions. If you want to be tired, you will be. If you want to do something, you will do it. We have an obligation to the IRB to play.

“We are playing against the best, like this weekend and against the All Blacks and the Wallabies. That is what international rugby is all about. We don’t have the choice to play this one in March or on a Sunday morning.”

For the record, the list of South Africa’s patients is as follows: full-back Zane Kirchner (knee), centre Adi Jacobs (ankle), scrum-half Fourie du Preez (hand), lock Bakkies Botha (back), hooker Bismarck du Plessis (ribs), flanker Schalk Burger (ribs), hooker Adriaan Strauss (back) and prop CJ van der Linde (hamstring).

Those injuries forced the cancellation of the team’s field session yesterday. Video and gym sessions were held instead and it was no surprise to hear that the team announcement has been put back until Thursday.

“It’s difficult to say (who will be fit),” said team doctor Craig Roberts, “and I am reluctant to do it this early in the week. We’ll put them through their paces and see who is available later in the week.”

A philosophical de Villiers said that while injuries could be unsettling, they could be a blessing in disguise but he would hardly have wanted it this way against an Irish team at home in Croke Park.

In fact, if there was a flicker of controversy in any of de Villiers’ utterances yesterday, it was in his description of last summer’s Lions selection, one which will endear him to people on these shores if not on Britain’s.

“The Irish team were camouflaged in red jerseys in South Africa and we all know it. This Irish team can be, at times, much better than the Lions were because of the fact they play together so much more.”

High praise indeed, but de Villiers reigned in the hyperbole when asked if this weekend’s game was an unofficial world championship decider between the Webb Ellis and Tri-Nations winners and the reigning Six Nations champions.

“They won the Grand Slam and the Six Nations. We take all our international games the same. We don’t give any special treatment to any country. We prepare ourselves the same for every test and that is applicable for this one too.”

Such words are a far cry from 2004 when, prior to Ireland’s 17-12 win in Dublin, his predecessor Jake White claimed that only three Irish players would even make the Springbok squad.

That too was something de Villiers was reluctant to dwell on.

“We have a saying in South Africa that you only look back if you want to go in that direction.”