Reader blog: Goodbye my captain
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Jean de Villiers is a fighter and probably still believes he can lead the Boks at the World Cup next year.
Goodbye captain my captain. Aussieboer knows you are a fighter and will probably still believe that you can lead the Green and Gold at next year’s ‘holy grail’.
I would smile non-stop if you do get back to top form and prove me wrong; however, maybe this is the time that you join your great centre partner, Jacque Fourie and say farewell to Test rugby.
Both of you had done the Springbok jersey pride, on and off the field and would probably have been seen as one of the best, if not the best Bok centre combo ever? You two hold the Bok record for 29 Tests as a centre pairing.
In the same league as Peter Whipp and Johan Oosthuizen, Michael/Willie du Plessis and Danie Gerber, Mannetjies Roux and John Gainsford/Joggie Jansen and Ryk van Schoor and Tjol Lategan.
Jean de Villiers' statistics:
Springbok number 735 and played in 106 Tests scoring 27 tries. Wore the Bok jersey at wing, inside and outside centre. Led the Boks in 34 Tests with only Gary Teichmann (36) and John Smit (83) more than De Villiers.
Who should lead the Boks in the World Cup, if, De Villiers retires or doesn't reach top form again?
Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez, Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw, Bismarck du Plessis and Adriaan Strauss must be in the race.
Listen to an interview Aussieboer did with Jean (injured shoulder) when he just had to withdraw from the World Cup squad to head ‘down under’ in 2003.
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