Du Preez impressed by life in Limerick
In an interview in his native South Africa Du Preez said: “the lifestyle is great here. They have everything like top-class malls, shops and restaurants. I can only say positive things about my time here.
“It’s been great and I will do it again. I’m based in Limerick and really enjoy it. The people are lovely with nice places to visit and countryside around as well. It’s a lot bigger than where I come from. I got lost my first time in the city”
Is there any drawback, then, about the Springbok prop’s new-found idyll? Well, yes!
“It has been difficult to adapt to the weather. It’s sad to hear about my family and friends (in South Africa) spending time on the beach when I’m here in the cold.”
The next six weeks or so will tell the full story but already it seems that Munster’s two-month deal with Cheetahs and Springbok prop Du Preez is one of the best pieces of business the team’s think-tank has negotiated for some time with Marcus Horan being ruled out of action until late January.
What was in doubt, of course, was whether the 6 ft 1 inch, 17 stone 10 lbs Bloemfontein native would measure up to requirements. So far, so good. The Munster scrum fared adequately in the 27-year-old’s first appearance against the Ospreys and while there was one shaky moment in the second half against the highly-ranked Perpignan front-row, they came through a particularly difficult assignment without undue difficulty.
More of the same at Stade Aime Giral tomorrow will sit very nicely with Munster fans.
“It is a completely different atmosphere,” he revealed. “From the passionate cheers of the home crowd to the dead silence while players kick at goal. The style of rugby is also different. The Super 14 has more running rugby where teams place a lot of emphasis on attack while here they play for territory so they kick much more and there are more ruck contests.”
Du Preez came to Ireland with the blessing of Barend Pieterse, his coach at Super Fourteen side Cheetahs.
When the deal was finalised in September, he stated: “Wian is already a good player and will only get better. It’s a shame he didn’t get a Springbok call-up but this will still be a great experience for him.”
Indeed South Africa’s front-row population took a bit of a hammering as they were preparing for their European tour. Du Preez was high on the list of replacements and was drafted into the squad and made his first appearance in the famous Springbok shirt against Italy in front of 80,000 people in Milan.
That was one of only two games that he had played since the end of the domestic season back home so Du Preez arrived in Munster refreshed but also with some meaningful game and training time under his belt. He was quickly into action with his new colleagues and has settled comfortably.
“I have really enjoyed the set-up,” he confirmed this week. “It is very professional and everybody is very nice and very helpful. Everything has gone very smoothly and I’m enjoying it.
“There’s a different game plan here with the weather, the fields and new structures so it’s been a good learning curve for me.”
Coach Tony McGahan and captain Paul O’Connell have been impressed.
“I thought Wian was excellent against Perpignan and gave us a great impetus in a number of areas,” says McGahan. “He worked extremely hard around the field both in defence and attack. He’s an excellent person who has fitted in with the group really well. He’s got a very calm and controlled demeanour and is a really nice guy. He’s eager to learn and he’s enjoying his rugby here. Ospreys away, Perpignan home, Perpignan away, they’re three big weeks so it’s a different experience for him. He’s handling it very well and we’re delighted he’s here.”
O’Connell was also happy to applaud his new comrade: “Wian’s been really good since he came over. He has had to learn a full line-out system and the lads were saying that he hasn’t got one call wrong. I find that very good in him and he has worked really hard and he’s had a few ideas of his own at the scrum as well. He has worked with Os Du Randt and Naka Drotske over in the Cheetahs and they’re two of the best coaches around.”
Apart from a low key game there during his student days, Du Preez has no direct experience of French rugby. But he does allow: “I’ve heard Perpignan is an intimidating place to go with the stadium and their supporters.”
Scrummaging units don’t come a whole lot stronger at any level of rugby than Perpignan’s. Du Preez had first hand knowledge of that fact last week and knows it will be even tougher in the Catalan’s backyard.
“They are really good and Nicolas Mas is a top French international,” he agrees. “They scrum really well as a unit so you’ve got to be on top of your game and be ready for them. The plan is to get Munster to the knock-out stages. That’s why you play rugby, you want to win and to create chances to be in finals and win trophies.
“Beyond that, my ambition is to play for the Springboks in the 2011 World Cup. All the guys here want to play for Ireland and John (Hayes) and I would like to be there. That is everybody’s ambition.”
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