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Jean replaces Luke as capt
11/12/2007 22:24 - (SA)
Adnaan Mohamed, Die Burger
Cape Town - Luke Watson has been replaced as captain of the Stormers. Jean de Villiers will lead the team in next year's Super 14 rugby competition.
The Springbok centre was appointed as captain at the squad's training camp at George on Monday.
Stormers chief coach Rassie Erasmus said on Tuesday De Villiers was the best candidate to lead the team.
"To me, Jean was the best option from the squad of 38 that assembled here," Erasmus said.
The former Springbok said he had discussed the move with Watson, who had accepted that he would no longer captain the team.
Erasmus does not expect the captaincy change to have a negative influence on the team. "I don't know why such a fuss about the captaincy of the Stormers is made in the Cape," he said.
"Just as all the other players in the squad have to do Luke must accept Jean as captain. I don't foresee any problems."
Erasmus did not want to explain why he thought De Villiers would be a better captain than Watson.
"I do not want to discuss the strong and weak points of the players. All I can say is that the guys are 100% happy with Jean as captain."
Allister Coetzee, who served as backline coach of the Springboks for the past four years, has joined the Stormers in the same capacity.
Coetzee, one of four candidates to take over from Jake White as Springbok coach, became part of the squad on Monday. However, if he is appointed as Springbok coach next month, the Stormers will have to find a replacement.
Erasmus said the Stormers would not stand in Coetzee's way if he landed the job as coach of the national team.
"Allister has joined in quickly. He has great experience and has been the backline coach of teams that won the Tri-Nations competition and the World Cup. The players enjoy his coaching," Erasmus said.
"At this stage I have no idea who the Springbok coach will be but we won't stand in Allister's way. The national team will get preference," Erasmus added.
The Stormers have been working hard on all aspects of the game. The new laws to be used in the Super 14 next year have received a lot of attention.
Springbok scrumhalf Ricky January, who has moved to the Cape from Johannesburg, trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Monday.
Springbok fullback Conrad Jantjes, who has a hand injury, lock Ross Skeate (ankle) and props Brian Mujati (wrist) and Schalk Ferreira (hamstring) are on the injury list.
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