Stormers loose forward Paul de Villiers is refusing to let talk of a Springbok call-up distract him, even as his breakout season pushes him to the fringes of Rassie Erasmus's plans for the July internationals.
The 23-year-old former South Africa Under-20 captain has been one of the standout performers of the United Rugby Championship campaign, anchoring a Stormers pack that has bulldozed its way into the semi-finals. His numbers tell the story: de Villiers ranks joint-second in the competition for turnovers won, with 18, and fifth for tackles made, with 196. In the quarter-final victory over Cardiff he produced a match-high 15 tackles and two crucial turnovers.
That form has inevitably sparked speculation that he could be in line for a maiden cap when the Springboks face England, Scotland and Wales in the Nations Championship next month. De Villiers, though, is keeping his focus firmly on Cape Town.
"That's what we've been working for all season, to be here and to be playing in a semi-final," he said.
The Stormers travel to take on a Leinster side packed with international experience, and de Villiers is under no illusions about the scale of the task.
"We understand we're playing a very strong outfit. They are a team packed with internationals," he said.
He was quick to credit the collective for his own rise, pointing to the platform laid by those around him rather than dwelling on individual recognition.
"Playing in a good team and behind a good pack makes it so much easier," he said. "We've got an awesome pack and an awesome team, but there's still stuff we can do better."
For all the outside noise about a green-and-gold future, de Villiers insists the only date in his diary that matters is this weekend's knockout tie.
"For every player in the Stormers at the moment, the focus is only on Saturday," he said. "After that, we'll see what happens, but for now it's only about what we can do to make the team better."
It is the kind of level-headed response that will only enhance his standing with the national selectors. With Erasmus contending with an injury list that has thinned his forward stocks, an abrasive, high-work-rate flanker enjoying the season of his life represents exactly the sort of in-form bolter the Springbok coach has so often rewarded.
Should the Stormers extend their run, de Villiers will have the perfect stage on which to press his claims. For now, the young forward seems content to let his performances do the talking, trusting that the rest will take care of itself.
