Cape Town – He doesn’t put the weight of his family name on his shoulders which could bring more pressure, but Dan du Plessis rather embraces the Western Province and Springbok legacy of his dad and uncles while carving his own path in Cape Town.
He is the son of former WP and Springboks flyhalf Michael du Plessis. His uncle, Carel, was dubbed as “the prince of wings” and his other uncle Willie was also a prominent Province and Springbok player.
But the 28-year-old versatile centre wants to make a name for himself while continuing the legacy of the Du Plessis family.
“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure, but it’s more of an honour to represent the family name if you want to put it that way,” Du Plessis said.
“There is obviously a rich history in the Du Plessis family, I’ve taken what I can from my dad and family and tried to put that on the field.”
This weekend against Connacht in the semi-final of the United Rugby Championship, Du Plessis can continue adding the accolades when the Stormers go toe-to-toe with the Irish club for a place in the final.
Due to injury, the centre missed last year’s play-offs but he is eager to make up for that. Despite those injuries that kept him out, he did not shy away from contact against the Bulls and wants to keep up the intensity on Saturday. He is equally happy to take up the ball in contact or to stop the momentum of opponents with a hard tackle.
“As usual, the body is quite sore on a Monday, but as the week goes on it tends to recover, a bit slower the older you get. But I am not yet at that stage where Deon Fourie and those guys are,” Du Plessis quipped when asked about putting his body on the line every weekend.
“I was lucky to be on the better side of those collisions in the Bulls match. I think the one with Johan (Goosen) was more a rugby collision than anything. The whole team put everything into that quarter-final and we are proud of that performance. We are looking forward to this weekend.”
Du Plessis has been a revelation in the midfield for the defending URC champions and it doesn’t matter who plays next to him, he just keeps on delivering.
Just a couple of seasons ago various injuries plagued the versatile centre and it seemed like he was not going to realise his potential in the Stormers and WP set-up.
But, he has been brilliant, especially his partnership with former Blitzbok Ruhan Nel, and the two have been the cornerstone of a rock-solid defensive system.
“I get a lot of confidence from him and hopefully he gets from me as well,” Du Plessis said of his combination with Nel.
“His personality on the field gives the other guys in the backline confidence, especially on defence with the way he goes for reads and the way he communicates, it helps me a lot.
“Our structure allows for freedom. It is difficult to explain, but we (the backline players) go hand-in-hand. The structure allows for guys to fill in at any position when needed.”
@Leighton_K
IOL Sport
