De Jongh’s aiming to catch eye of the Boks
NEALE HARVEY talks to Wasps' South African centre about the 2019 World Cup
Wasps centre Juan de Jongh reckons he still has a shot at making South Africa's 2019 World Cup team despite rendering himself temporarily unavailable for selection.
De Jongh has 19 caps and featured heavily in last year's Rugby Championship, but made the difficult decision to turn his back on the Springboks this summer after ending a 10-year association with Cape Townbased Super Rugby outfit the Stormers.
The 29-year-old now hopes his form for Wasps over the next two years will be enough to earn a recall from South Africa head coach Allister Coetzee – a man he knows well from the Stormers – when the World Cup in Japan comes along.
De Jongh toldThe Rugby Paper: “It was a really tough decision to come north because South Africa has a new rule where you have to have 30 caps to still play for the Springboks if you're overseas.
“I haven't got 30 caps yet but in a World Cup year you can still be called up and I have ambitions to represent South Africa on that stage, so my challenge now is to play well for Wasps and be in the best physical condition I can be to be picked.
“But I'm not worrying about that right now, my only focus is on playing good rugby here and I'm just looking to taking any opportunities for game time when they come. It's important for me to win a trophy in year one and to work hard for that.”
TEAMS
WORCESTER: Adams; Humphreys, Te'o, Willison, Heem; Heathcote, Arr; Bower, Singleton, Schonert, O'Callaghan (c), Phillips, Cox, Lewis, Van Velze
Replacements: Taufete'e, Waller, Alo, Scotland- Williamson, Faosiliva, Stringer, Olva, Shillcock
WASPS: Le Roux; Watson, Lovobalavu, Gopperth, Bassett; Cipriani, Robson; McIntrye, Johnson, Cooper- Woolley, Launchbury (c), Myall, Rieder, Thompson, Hughes
Replacements: Cruse, Mullan, Doran-Jones, Symons, Willis, Simpson, Macken, Miller
Last year's Premiership finalists will be banking on de Jongh's organisational abilities in defence, as well as his pace and ability to spot a gap.
Fifty tries in six league games last week confirmed the Premiership now compares favourably with Super Rugby in entertainment – a fact effervescent De Jongh delights in as he settles alongside fellow ‘Boks' Willie Le Roux and Ashley Johnson.
He said: “I was surprised with how many tries there were last weekend but I've followed the Premiership for a long time and it's not the first time. It says a lot about the game here that teams are looking to exploit each other in attack. In South Africa you play 90 per cent of your games in dry, sunny conditions, which make attacking rugby easier, but there are a lot of tough, close encounters in the Premiership as well and there's a good balance throughout the competition.”
De Jongh added: “I've always wanted to be part of the Premiership and a lot of South African guys have come here before and done well. I've been blessed to have played with Willie and Ashley before, and I've known Ashley for a long time because we started together way back in 2009 when we both played for South Africa together.
“All three of us have played together for the Springboks and against each other in Super Rugby and Currie Cup, so we're familiar with each other and it's made it easier having a couple of other Saffers around me at Wasps to help me settle in.
“The management have been fantastic in making my life more comfortable and I really want to be part of the Wasps family culture, to achieve success and be a better player.”
While De Jongh's main focus is on Wasps, he keeps a close eye on the fortunes of the Springboks, currently enjoying a revival under Coetzee, as well as the Cheetahs and Kings who are adjusting to life in the new-look PRO 14.
He predicts more changes ahead for World Rugby, explaining: “I think it's fantastic what the Cheetahs and Kings are doing and, having played Super Rugby, the chance to come north under different circumstances will benefit them long-term.
“It's incredibly tough for both teams to just be thrown in and be part of the PRO 14, so you can't expect miracles overnight, but I'm convinced that after this year they will be more competitive and more ready for the challenges.
“Rugby's evolved so much over the years, with new competitions and formats, and this is just the latest step. In ten years, who knows, you could see all the teams from the different countries competing in world-wide competitions.”
As for the future of the Springboks, de Jongh says: “Obviously it will be much harder when they play New Zealand, but they had an awesome series against France and started the Rugby Championship well against Argentina, so they've turned the corner.
“It's looking a lot better for Allister now because it wasn't easy for him last year to come in and not really have the time to work with players, but they've given him a second chance and the combinations are beginning to improve.”
