On the eve of the test against England at Twickenham on Saturday, Peter de Villiers still had some time to reflect on a challenging first year as the coach of the Springboks.
Speaking at an official function with more than 50 Springbok supporters on the Vodacom Greatest Supporters Tour, De Villiers admitted it hadn’t all been “plain sailing”.
“I’ve been through some deep waters, but you can either look at the glass half full or half empty. I’m the kind of optimist that will look at it half full,” said De Villiers.
“Even if there are only two people who are supporting the team, those are two more than nothing. The one thing we lose as people is that whenever you come up against somebody who is against you, you think the whole world is against you. But you don’t realise who is following you and who shares the same sentiments as you. When you have players like I have, the management team and family back home, and even supporters such as this, then everything becomes worthwhile.”
The embattled Springbok emblem has also been a topic of discussion on this tour.
Matome Mokoena, who won himself a place on the Supporters Tour and will watch the Springboks live for the first time on Saturday since becoming a fan after the World Cup triumph in 1995, said the team and emblem remain a source of pride for him and his friends.
“They are amazing. I love the team spirit, when they go on to the field and sing the national anthem with pride. That is what inspires me, when you see them doing what they love the most and are passionate about representing the nation,” he said.
“I don’t mind the king protea being added to the jersey, but they shouldn’t remove the springbok just because they have a personal vendetta against what happened in the past. The young people don’t know all of the wrong things that affected those people so it doesn’t really affect us.”
