Meyer all behind his new Springbok leading man

FOURIE du Preez’s elevation to Springbok captain might seem surprising, but it’s really just a natural conclusion to something that might have happened almost four years ago.

In 2012 Du Preez was on the brink of being named Springbok captain, until difficulties with clauses in his Japanese club contract muddied the waters.

Du Preez could have wriggled out of his deal at Suntory Sungoliath, but he chose to honour the contract even though it denied him the greatest honour a South African rugby player can achieve.

That stance however, underlined his best qualities – loyalty, commitment and the ethical backbone to do the right thing. Not exactly bad traits to bring to the Springbok captaincy job.

On Wednesday Du Preez was officially unveiled as Springbok captain – the 56th man to do so – for this weekend’s World Cup clash against Scotland. He might only have the job for one match but that’s no matter. An impressive rugby CV that includes a World Cup gold medal, three Super Rugby titles and two Tri-Nations crowns and two SA Rugby Player of the Year gongs, can now also include the line “Springbok captain”.

After Jean de Villiers’s

withdrawal

from

the World Cup due to a fractured jaw, followed by lock Victor Matfield’s unavailability due to a strained hamstring, Du Preez came into the reckoning.

With Du Preez back in the mix against Samoa last week, where he made his first Bok appearance in 15 months, the players stuck to the coach’s tactical plan. Du Preez, even though he wasn’t captain, was crucial in making sure it happened. A quiet word here and a calming clearance kick there, kept Samoa pinned back. It was a master-class in game management as the Boks cruised to a 46-6 win.

“Fourie knows what I want, he knows what the right calls are and the most importantly he knows how to win,” Meyer said of Du Preez.