Rassie Erasmus has plans for breakthrough Springboks forward Paul de Villiers, but he won’t be ‘throwing away’ captain Siya Kolisi anytime soon.
De Villiers burst onto the international scene with a strong cameo off the bench against the Barbarians before making his official Test debut in the Nations Championship opener against England in July.
The Stormers star was a late addition to the Springboks‘ starting line-up after captain Kolisi sustained a hamstring injury in training, which ruled him out for the remainder of the July Tests against Scotland and Wales, respectively.
Paul de Villiers’ place in the Springboks team
In his absence, De Villiers started those fixtures and was named man of the match in the victory over Wales in Durban. He retained the number six jumper for the opening Test match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand, but Kolisi’s return from injury saw him drop out of the matchday 23 entirely for the second and now third Test match.
Whilst it’s clear that Springboks captain Kolisi remains the first-choice selection in the number six jumper, Erasmus says that De Villiers is very much on their radar as a player with a bright future ahead of him.
Many have predicted that part of that future includes him moonlighting as hooker, much like his clubmate Deon Fourie and Bulls forward Marco van Staden. However, the Bok head coach revealed that while he is able to throw the ball into the lineout like a hooker, he doesn’t have the body shape and heft to crack in the front-row.
However, that does not mean that he can’t be a hybrid option for South Africa, with Erasmus suggesting that the athletic back-row could follow Andre Esterhuizen and be an option on the side of the scrum as well as in the centres.
Last year, the experiment with Esterhuizen began with the powerhouse centre repeatedly named on the bench and featured both in the midfield and at flank for South Africa. This ploy meant that he earned 10 Test caps last year, dwarfing his three from the year prior. The now 32-year-old had also earned just 19 caps before 2025 and is in line to win his 34th on Saturday in the third Greatest Rivalry Test match in Soweto.
The rookie Nick Mallett believes has ‘maturity to lead’ Springboks
Future hybrid role but not at hooker
After naming his team for that fixture, Erasmus was asked about the potential of De Villiers packing down in the front-row at some stage.
“I don’t think Paul is a guy who can play hooker; he can throw into the lineout really well, but he doesn’t have that size,” he replied.
“Marco [van Staden] is heavy like an ox’s leg or a cement bag, and he is a solid guy who has done a lot of scrum work.
“Paul could definitely help us out with the lineouts.”
Erasmus added that while De Villiers played well earlier in the international season, he wasn’t going to drop captain Kolisi, who continues to perform in Green and Gold.
“Siya is 35 and has played about 50 minutes in total; all 50 of those minutes, he has been productive,” he said.
“At half time, we asked him, ‘How long can you go?’ And he said, ‘He doesn’t know if he can go on,’ so we said, ‘Come, let’s give it a few more minutes and get a lekker big hit in.’ He got that one on Ardie, so we said, ‘Job done’.
“Paul has a bright future. There are a few players with a bright future, but we can’t just throw players away because they are getting older, especially if they are producing like Siya produces every bloody game – and he is captain.
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“Paul is on our radar, and he could be more of a hybrid player like Andre Esterhuizen, where he could play a little of 12 and six, rather than him being able to play six and two.”
De Villiers wouldn’t be the first flanker to move into the backs in international rugby, with England doing similar with Ben Earl and Henry Pollock, the former even doing so for Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions last year.
Pieter-Steph du Toit finished the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final defending on the wing for the Boks, while Kwagga Smith has repeatedly been mentioned as an option in the backs.