Stormers scrum guru a happy man
The Stormers' dominance in the scrum has played a big part in their wins against the Bulls and Jaguares in the opening two rounds with De Villiers playing a big role behind the scenes.
"It is still early days, but we are very happy," said De Villiers.
"The players have put in a lot of hard work in the pre-season. It was something I did not have the luxury of doing with the Boks. It is a lot more difficult [with the Boks], you don't get a lot of time with your players."
He added: "Last year we had a proper pre-season and the [Stormers] management really bought into the scrum programme that I've put forward.
"We could work on a lot of important things…We had some specialised training aides as well, which really helped us a lot with that preparation."
De Villiers said getting the players in peak physical condition has been an integral part of their scrum dominance
"Everything in terms of scrummaging happens in the pre-season because that is where you shape the player, where you shape your tool.
"You get your body in the right physical condition to resist all that three-dimensional powers that comes your way.
"During the season players have to deal with a lot of post-match fatigue as well, so it's not the best time to really spend our hours on shape conditioning or scrum conditioning," said De Villiers
Meanwhile, Stormers outside back Cheslin Kolbe will miss the clash with the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth this weekend with an ankle injury.
Kolbe sustained the lateral ankle ligament injury in the 32-25 victory against the Jaguares in Round Two last week.
Dan Kriel suffered a lateral knee sprain and will be rested this week as a precaution along with flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis who has a minor groin strain.
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