De Villiers fears 'big margin' defeat awaits Munster

The Reds are facing a tough season, according to their former player.

Fri, 21 Oct, 2022 - 06:44

Brendan O'Brien

Jean de Villiers knows only too well how it feels to finish on the wrong side of the Munster-Leinster ledger. The South African managed just 23 games in his one season with the southern province. Three of those came against their greatest rivals and all went down as losses.

His first was a 30-0 trouncing at the RDS in October of 2009, still a record margin of victory for the fixture. A one-point defeat followed in Thomond Park six months later and it was a 16-6 Magners League semi-final reversal to the boys in blue that brought the curtain down on his stint in Ireland.