Faf: I’ve still got goals to aim at with this Sale side
FAF De Klerk says he’s now fully focused on his role at Sale after winning the World Cup with South Africa.
The scrum-half returns to the Sharks side for the first time since that triumph in Japan, against La Rochelle at the AJ Bell Stadium tomorrow in the Heineken Cup.
It is set to be a star-studded Sharks side, with England World Cup finalist Tom Curry also back, while Chris Ashton and Denny Solomona are also involved.
“My focus shifted (from the World Cup) to Sale quite quickly,” said De Klerk. “Hopefully I can add to the team.
“I had a two-week break and I was very keen to get back into training and playing and I’m excited to play with a few of the new boys that are here.
“We’ve got different goals here and different standards that we need to get at. We want to be a top-four side in all competitions and that’s a new goal for me.”
Despite ending England’s World Cup dreams in that final in Yokohama, De Klerk has been full of praise for the support of the English fans towards both him and their country during the tournament.
He said: “I can’t really describe it, it was absolutely amazing. We knew our support in Japan from the South African people but once we got back it was amazing.
“I’ve not really spent much time out of my apartment yet, I went for a coffee the other day and had a few photos taken.
“I’m happy it happened for the UK people and to see what rugby did for their country, to get the sport back to where it needs to be.”
And despite returning to Sale with a winners’ medal in the game’s most prestigious competition, the scrumhalf believes some areas of his game can still improve.
He added: “I always say you’re never the best version of yourself playing wise, I always think you can improve on things no matter what you’ve achieved.
“Coming to Sale I have a lot more responsibility, the conditions in England are up and down and you need to learn how to play in all sorts.
“I think I need to add to the team, that’s why I’m here and as a team we need to do well and perform.”