In November last year (just under ten months before the start of the 2015 Rugby World Cup) Springbok captain, Jean De Villiers suffered a severe injury to crucial knee ligaments in a test match against Wales. Many thought De Villiers would never be able to recover and he would never play on a rugby pitch again.
Shoestring Productions have followed Jean closely over the past six months and filmed his recovery, both physically and mentally, to get him in shape for potential competition in the upcoming World Cup. An immense task, perhaps only fit for a man that captained a South African national team through many victories.
It has been a pleasure to work closely with Richard, Rob and Kate from Shoestring Productions and of course, getting to know Jean himself. It is a story of immense triumph, humility and bravery and we are so excited to be involved in such a heroic South African story.
The first part of “Jean De Villiers: The Road to Recovery” is available online and will be aired on Supersport 1 on Thursday, 23 April at 19h30.
*All above information was sourced from Google, Wikipedia and Sports24. The percentage of staff at Priest who are interested in sport is MINISCULE. However, after meeting Mr. De Villiers in person, that percentage has increased dramatically. Watch this space for The Official Jean De Villiers Fan Page, coming soon.