Cape Town – Jean-Luc du Plessis will celebrate his 29th birthday next week Sunday, and he will hope to earn an early present by leading Western Province to victory in Saturday’s Currie Cup clash against the Blue Bulls.
The WP flyhalf will lead out the Streeptruie for the first time at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (6.30pm kickoff), which will see him follow in the footsteps of his father, Carel ‘Prince of Wings’ du Plessis, who skippered the Cape side in the 1980s.
In typical fashion, Jean-Luc smiled that the former Province and Springbok coach Du Plessis, now 62, had ample advice for his son this week after John Dobson awarded the leadership role to the pivot.
“I definitely spoke to him, gave him a call during the week with the good news, and obviously he had some advice. But he is always smart about the way he goes about it… He knows and trusts me, and we are sort of cut from the same cloth in the way we think and the way we go about things,” Jean-Luc said on Friday.
“We shared a couple of moments, a couple of words, a bit of advice. He just told me to enjoy it and make the most of it.
“He just told me to trust myself and back myself, and how a captain should go about leading his team, especially playing in the 10 position – showing composure, and to be confident and keep staying positive, as well as not losing that edge, though.
“I believe I will be a good leader for this team, and the boys are easy to lead and are willing to follow. For me, it’s about doing my job as a 10, and to instil composure and confidence in the team, and to make sure that we are sharp mentally and physically.”
Jean-Luc is well aware of the Du Plessis family legacy at Western Province, and even though he is known for not being shy to vent his feelings on the pitch, he is relishing the opportunity to show the way to his teammates.
“Western Province rugby runs deep in the blood with me and my family, and for me to captain this great union, it’s really a great honour for me. It’s something I won’t take lightly, and it’s something I am really looking forward to,” he said.
“For me, playing flyhalf my whole life, it sort of comes with a leadership role as well – controlling the game and the plays, and I’ve always had that… It’s always come naturally to me, so I don’t think much will change on Saturday. Maybe the only thing is that I will be able to speak to the refs!”
Dobson giggled when asked to explain his decision to appoint Du Plessis as the skipper: “This is the first step in the rebranding! We have just been so lucky to have JL back. He came back (from Japan), and I actually think he can make a massive contribution to this union over the next four or five years.
“He’s a 10 who can play very similarly to Manie (Libbok), which is what we need if we want to stay true to our game model. He’s just a natural leader and so competitive, and I hope that rubs off on the rest of the team. The wolf is in charge of the chickens now, so let’s see what happens!”
But after the laughs, there is still a game to be won tonight, and Du Plessis said that the thrilling attacking style that the Stormers and WP side utilise resonates with everyone in the region, and he hopes it will result in a victory over the Bulls once more.
“Not only for my family, but for most of the supporters across the Western Cape region and across the world… Western Province are known for playing a certain brand of rugby, and for the supporters to be excited about it,” the No 10 said.
“I think that has definitely come back to the Stormers and WP brand, and I think it has a lot to do with the coaches, with Dobbo and them setting clear missions, knowing who we are, identity …
“The players have been playing really well and buying in, and a lot of players suit the game model, so it works out well.
“This is the core group of players whose mission it is to bring the Currie Cup home, and you will get your time and minutes on the pitch to improve, develop and grow. It will put us in good stead come the latter part of the season.”
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