Those hand signals that Springbok centre Jean de Villiers makes after scoring tries in Test rugby are messages to someone dear to him.
“It’s someone’s name that I write; someone close to my heart,” the midfield star revealed on Wednesday.
Stephen Nell writes in Die Burger that De Villiers scored three tries in South Africa’s first two Test matches of the season. He was named Man of the Match after scoring a brace in the second Test against Wales last weekend.
His gesturing after scoring tries has been a matter of conjecture among Springbok supporters for a long time.
“Because of the rugby, I am away from home a lot,” he explained on Wednesday. “There are people in my life who make sacrifices.
“Those gestures are a little message that I write; someone’s name. That’s as much as I’ll say about it.”
“I do it every time I score a try. It began two years ago but people have probably noticed it only now because I am scoring tries again, for a change.”
The blond centre believes he has not regained his best form, even though two respected international coaches have praised him recently.
Nice compliment
Welsh coach Warren Gatland and Italy’s Nick Mallett are among those who feel De Villiers is one of the best midfielders in the world.
“I received a nice compliment from Gatland, and now also from Nick,” De Villiers said.
“That is what players strive for, but I feel the only one I’m competing with is myself.
“As long as I play good rugby and add value to the team, I am happy, even if I’m not regarded as the world’s best centre. But I’m grateful for the compliments.”
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will announce the SA side for Saturday’s Test match against Italy on Thursday.
Supporters in the Western Cape will know then whether local heroes such as De Villiers, flyhalf Peter Grant and loose forward Schalk Burger will be in action at Newlands on Saturday.
Burger saw a specialist about his knee injury earlier this week but nothing about the outcome was said in the SA squad on Wednesday.
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Must be Dawn’s name… 😉
Dave?
Ek wens hy wil dit stop, dis bleddie kinderagtig
Its “Liewe Bolla” – look closely next time.
@walter van transvaal.co.za (Comment 3) :
As supposed to the ass-slapping, soccer-style hugging/diving on top of one another, kicking the ball into the crowd or punching it, saluting someone like your in the army kinderagtig?
@Big Fish (Comment 4) :
Nah Bolla is with him all the time, slapping his ass 😀
@MorneN (Comment 5) :
Presies, dis hoekom ek rugby kyk en nie sokker nie, en nou begin die aap met sy sokkerstreke.
Let the guys celebrate,jeez.
I hate it when a oke scores a try and just walks off like its nothing.
@PJLD (Comment 8) :
Wat’s fout met ‘n bree glimlag en op die uiterste ‘n high five?
@MorneN (Comment 5) :
Boks are becoming more like that every game I watch unfortunately… against sh!te opposition there’s no need to make-out after every try…
Turn round, knuckle-down… and take them to pieces a-la the AB’s!
Well I guess none of us has scored a try in a test in a Bok jersey – so no-one can really say what emotion goes through you when it happens…
It might be like winning the lotto, I will slap anyone’s ass and even kiss my gardener and won’t give a toss what anyone thinks.
I don’t care how they celebrate, as long as they celebrate and to do that they actually have to score tries.
Didn’t Ettiene Reynecke kiss his one team mate on the cheek in a CC game last year? Pretty sure it was against WP as-well.
@walter van transvaal.co.za (Comment 9) : Its been done, why don’t they just start wearing those high school rugby jerseys as well?
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 10) :
The AB’s are becoming worse than anyone else in this!
@MorneN (Comment 11) :
“I will slap anyone’s ass and even kiss my gardener and won’t give a toss what anyone thinks.”
Remind me to never play on the same team as you. 😳
The reason the Lions dont celebrate much after scoring tries is cos even when they do, they know they are still gonna lose. 😈
Now we are all being a bit pedantic really..I say celebrate as you damn will wish nothing wrong with feeling extremely happy at scoring and channelling the energy expressively.
And if that means giving a guy a kiss on the forhead or doing back-flips so be it..
It is after all the year 2 Thousand and 8
@Big Fish (Comment 14) :
Now now Fish leave the Lions out of this..we don’t get to score that often 😥 😉
Bolla in the Sky with Diamonds…
Sorry CSB – I saw a gap and I took it – thats what heroes do.
I only ever scored one try in my career. I reckon I kissed every oke on the field 🙂
@MorneN (Comment 11) :
Did you notice how they will still busy ‘making-out’ when the Welsh took a quick line-out and ran straight over a wingless try-line… 😯
And the cheek-kisser was none other than Bolla from the Jaco’s if I’m not mistaken…
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 19) :
Nope was definately Reynecke. Can’t remember exactly which game though.
@robdylan (Comment 18) :
Career.. something you not telling us 😉
Scored so many myself got to kiss every team mate 😯
Hoi ja…
@CoffeeShopBok;-) (Comment 21) : it wasn’t much of a career. Spent most of it in the second row
Speaking of Jaco and celebrations…..
@Salmonoid (Comment 24) : let’s not go there. 😈 I’ll just break out in hives agin
I once scored 3 tries in a match, and nobody kissed me. Not even one of the girls afterwards. 👿
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 26) : Shame
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 26) : you must’ve been a back…
@robdylan (Comment 28) : Backs need love too.
@MorneN (Comment 11) : Morne with respect, Rugby is game for men. This hugging and kissing thing makes my blood boil. In my day you scored a try you wiped your nose if it was bleeding , pulled your socks up, threw the ball to the fullback or flyhalf, all your mates would say well done and then you ran back to the half way line.
The kids of today have taken this hugging and and embracing thing too far.. it is because of the cricket and soccer playing nammbypammbies….
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 26) : They would have if you were playing in Cape Town.. so i am told…. Dive Pass can organize you a game there I believe?? 😆
I think they should celebrate any which way they wish. As long as they win & are not in breach of any public indecency laws. 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 25) : the Jaco Van De Western Province fan’s getting to you too?
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 33) : no… it’s just Jaco himself that gets to me
@Ragged (Comment 31) : You don’t even have to play rugby to be kissed in Cape Town.
@walter van transvaal.co.za (Comment 3) :
Seems we have a bunch of homophobics on this blog…it is just SO 1960’s… 👿
BTW – that reminds me so much of the “apartheid” era…the the biggest “HNP” and “KP” okes knyping the dark cat in the dark…hipocrits… 🙄
Anyway – whats wrong with showing emotion and in which ever way you like…???? Get with the program for crying out loud – if they’re doing a job well, whats the problem then?? 🙄 🙁
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 26) :
Rache…I defnitely was not at THAT game…. 😉
BTW – I see there is a rape charge being investigated by NZ police against 4 of the English rugby player…now Walter – THERE is a real reason for concern… 😉
@Ragged (Comment 30) : This hugging and kissing thing makes my blood boil
😯 Okay…we didn’t know you were this passionate about this subject.
To quote Kanye West (he’s a rapper):
Old folks talkin bout “back in my day”
But hommie this is my day 😆
I think we’ll see more “crazy” celebrations with the new kids on the block coming up…
@I’ce (TKMITFM) (Comment 37) : let’s not discuss that here, please. Thanks Ice
@I’ce (TKMITFM) (Comment 36) : You tell ’em Ice. 😆
@I’ce (TKMITFM) (Comment 36) : Too bad you weren’t, I was 17 and approaching my sexual prime. 😳
@robdylan (Comment 39) :
No prob…was just quoting something I read…and you are right, coz that might get my blood boiling, as if its not boiling already today…
If I had to sidestep the whole Bok team en route to the tryline ( Shane Williams-style)…maybe a simple high five just won’t cut it… 🙂
Looking at some of the honey’s who are physio’s and doctors these days I will run around my whole team after scoring a try straight to the bench and start some ass-slapping and kissing there.
‘Back in my day’ we never had these honey’s as medics!
@MorneN (Comment 44) :
@MorneN (Comment 44) :
Its actually quite simple
First win the game
Then collect “all” the huNNy afterwards
coz multitasking has its limits!
@I’ce (TKMITFM) (Comment 36) :
So I am homophobic because I don’t like his writing-a-message-in-the-air-with-his-finger-trick? I don’t follow your logic…
All we ever had was some geeks from St Johns ambulance. Definitely not kissing them.
@walter van transvaal.co.za (Comment 47) :
foLLowing Logic
If she is a girl – dont even try!
😀
@MorneN (Comment 11) :
Reynecke kissed Anton van Zyl but it was after the final whistle and probably after we won. I don’t think it was last year, might have been the year before.
@walter van transvaal.co.za (Comment 47) :
WALTER – that comment was not directed at only you – you just made the firts comment and then it progressed (Comment 8 was defnitely hinting towards more than the finger writing trick IMO) and the other’s comments following became worse…going more towards the hugging and kissing than the writing thing..thats all…
@Oranje Orakel (Comment 49) :
Thats a BIF “IF”…. 😉
BIG “if”… 😳
@MorneN (Comment 44) :
Can’t fault that. Actually I wouldn’t mind my team doing that because I’m sitting on the bench 😆
@Ollie (Comment 53) :
You are a sick individual Ollie.
(PS, Just send photos!)
@Ollie (Comment 53) : you dog, you!
Gonna play Fantasy League? 😉
When is PdV announcing the squad?
I need to make changes to my Testrugby fantasy thingy…
Morne, jealous? 😀
@robdylan (Comment 55) :
Rob, i’ll still have to see. Time is reeeaaaally limited at the moment. If I have time to draw up a team I’ll send it in to you. But some how I doubt it.
@blackshark (Comment 56) :
Hopefully soon!
PJLD,
Is that a turd in your avatar?
@walter van transvaal.co.za (Comment 59) : Ja, I’ll be back to check later…
@Ollie (Comment 58) : I can even pick a random side for you, if you like 😉
@VinChainSaw (Comment 60) : Zet
@PJLD (Comment 63) :
Huh?
Is that a turd? It looks like it could be on the bonnet of your car too.
Sies man, this is a family site…
ps. whose turd is it? And why are the sides red? Too many chillies?
Rob…you’v got mail…
Let him do whatever he wants as long as he score tries. Schalk will do the same in NZ.
How long until he has his tongue pierced and appears in an American Swiss ad? 😛
@VinChainSaw (Comment 64) :
Vin…you a youngster?? Dont you know who ZET is???
Vinnie is putting up a show,ive heard he has a Zet tattoo
Marius Jouba use to make also signs after scoring for the Cheetahs. So I ask his dad what that means and he sort of promise the workers on the farm when they hunted he’ll show them Kudu horns on TV after scoring. Nothing wrong with that I hate that back jumping some of the players do much more. Can hurt themself. So if he want to sent secret messages so vokken what.
@robdylan (Comment 62) :
That maybe an option, when is cutoff for submission?
@Ollie (Comment 71) : midday tomorrow
@PaarlBok (Comment 70) : remember the Griquas winger who always used to swallow dive? Now what was his name again? Kept thinking the oke was going to break a rib…
And the worst was bloody Philip Burger…
TEAM: 15. Conrad JANTJES
14. Odwa NDUNGANE
13. Gcobani BOBO
12. Jean DE VILLIERS
11. Bryan HABANA
10. Francois STEYN
9. Ricky JANUARIE
8. Ryan KANKOWSKI
7. Juan SMITH
6. Luke WATSON
5. Victor MATFIELD (c)
4. Bakkies BOTHA
3. CJ VAN DER LINDE
2. Bismarck DU PLESSIS
1. Tendai MTAWARIRA
16. Schalk BRITS
17. Brian MUJATI
18. Andries BEKKER
19. Joe VAN NIEKERK
20. Schalk BURGER
21. Peter GRANT
22. Ruan PIENAAR
Ok, shot Rob. I’ll keep you posted.
At least Fransie Steyn can try and look good against Italy… 🙄
Good, give Adi a rest before the Tri-Nations…
@robdylan (Comment 62) :
Rob….my team’s on the way!!!
@robdylan (Comment 73) : Jearus Nicholas… 😳 spelling ❓
@Charlie (Comment 78) : that’s the one! Amazing memory
@I’ce (TKMITFM) (Comment 68) :
Yeah he was a hairy funny little man. Well not a man. Just a funny lookign person. I’ve been called Zet before… 😆
@robdylan (Comment 73) : PLEASE REMEMBER
@Charlie (Comment 78) : oh sweet!
@robdylan (Comment 79) : Just know my rugby
@Charlie (Comment 83) : yeah, you do.
You should write articles for us.
@robdylan (Comment 73) :
lol. He did injure himself once and from memory it was a broken rib!
@VinChainSaw (Comment 85) : I knew it! 😉
@VinChainSaw (Comment 85) : where’s your FL team, cuz? 😉
@robdylan (Comment 84) : Time is a problem…my brother from another mother… 😆
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xEI2rXVcUh8&feature=related