Rising Bok star Paul de Villiers on his studies and being a hybrid player

Springbok flanker Paul de Villiers has expressed his desire to broaden his skill set by contributing as a backline player when necessary. The former Junior Bok captain also stated that he does not currently aspire to become the national team captain, and he is content with being a part of the Springbok setup at the moment. De Villiers played in a 6-2 bench split against Italy on Saturday, with the Boks winning the Nations Championship clash 66-7 in Turin.

However, head coach Rassie Erasmus did not put him in the backline during the game, stating that they would only do so if there was an emergency. "Maybe if we get a yellow card or something like that he would cover an extra role like nine or something like that," Erasmus said. De Villiers, who has only played flank professionally until this point, has expressed interest in contributing in the backline.

"I’ve looked at some of our backline players, they can cover in other positions, they’re versatile," he said. De Villiers emphasized that he is grateful to be part of the Springbok setup and that playing for the Boks is a privilege. He mentioned that it was a privilege for him to captain the Stormers recently while Ruhan Nel was injured.

"It was awesome for me to get a chance. There are quite a few leaders there. So it was good for me to look around and have other leaders back me up and help me. For the moment, just playing for the Springboks is a massive privilege in itself. It’s about staying in this group, keeping my head down and staying humble," De Villiers said.

He highlighted the importance of studying actuarial science after school, citing the possibility of a shortened rugby career. De Villiers recently completed an online degree in investment management through Stadio and plans to continue studying further in the future. The Springboks will move on to Paris and face France in the Nations Championship this Friday following their victory over Italy.