By Ashfak Mohamed

He is regarded as relatively small for a modern-day centre, who weighs in at 100kg most times, as he is only 85kg.

So where does new Western Province midfield sensation Juan de Jongh’s abrasive defence and sparkling stepping and running skills come from?

Well, De Jongh may only be 20, but his experience of some tough times throughout his career has prepared him well for what he can expect in Saturday’s Currie Cup derby against Boland in Wellington.

De Jongh is originally from Wellington itself, and he told the Cape Times this week that having attended Hugenote High, who had a backline full of players smaller than their opponents, sharpened up his defensive game.

“My current approach is how I have played rugby from when I was small. I was never the biggest guy and our school team was not big either, but we never stood back for the other schools,” he said.

“We didn’t attack a lot, but our defence was very good. Defence is about attitude and that is what I have learnt over the years.

“I do enjoy the attacking play. The challenge is to improve all the time. I learnt a lot about attack at the WP Institute and my stepping came from Dawie Snyman. The defence comes from school, so it is a good combination.”

And his knowledge of many players in the Boland set-up will give WP some insight into their opponents’ approach in Wellington on Saturday. “I was at Hugenote High in Wellington, so I know what to expect at the Boland Stadium. I have played a lot of trials and stuff there,” said De Jongh.

“I played Boland Craven Week in 2006 and we played against WP! So I know that they would want to prove a point. They will be very aggressive.

“I know a lot of the Boland players from school. But I don’t think that they would just want to target me. They would want to take us on in all the facets and will come for us.”

De Jongh has been superb during the Currie Cup, and coach Allister Coetzee has also been impressed. “Very happy, but there is always room for improvement. We’ve lost a lot of centres, and all of a sudden, Juan has taken the opportunity,” Coetzee said this week.

“It is good to see that Juan offers not only striking power, but a bit of a work rate on the field, and aggression. Juan has just got to keep going at the rate that he is going.”

But will De Jongh get the ball on attack on Saturday? WP have adopted a fairly conservative approach this season, with the emphasis on kicking for territory. However, they have looked far more dangerous when they have keep the ball in hand, with speedy backs such as De Jongh, Gio Aplon and Joe Pietersen providing great impetus.

Coetzee said that his team have worked hard on improving the balance between when to kick and run on attack. “Maybe what we will see is better decisions from the back. The whole thing about getting the balance right between kicking and running is about making good decisions. Ironically enough, if you look at the games we won this year, the Sharks, Leopards and Cheetahs, you will find that we kicked more. And we kicked less in the games that we lost,” he said.

“When we had a go against Griquas, we got numbers to the ball and we got it back, and we created havoc and ran into holes and space. That is where we want to be.

“As a team, we know exactly where we are, and the proof will be in the pudding this weekend. Another test, a wet field, there will be opportunities, so we will see how well we make the decisions at the back. Against Griquas, I thought we had opportunities where we should have had a go, and we kicked the ball away.

“It is also about how well we execute our kicking game. When the kicking game doesn’t work, it has nothing to do with the system, but rather the execution of the kick.

“Once you get that right, you should have a 50 percent chance of turning the ball over, and then to score. You have to put pressure on the kick reception.”

After losing to Griquas, WP know that they cannot afford to lose another match against one of the smaller unions if they hope to reach the Currie Cup semi-finals. They have the better players, but Boland always put on a spirited display at home against WP. The visitors, though, should aim for a full house of five log points.

TEAMS FOR WELLINGTON

Boland: 15 Justin Peach, 14 Deon Scholtz, 13 Hein Myburgh, 12 Lionel Cornelius, 11 Ernie Kruger, 10 Elgar Watts, 9 Marnus Hugo, 8 Junior Bester, 7 Carel Hoffman, 6 Zolani Mofu, 5 Rito Hlungwane, 4 Nico Esterhuyse, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Clemen Lewis (capt), 1 Janro van Niekerk. Bench: 16 Harry Vermaas, 17 Jané du Toit, 18 Frikkie Spies, 19 Andre du Toit, 20 Danie van der Merwe, 21 Mark Harris, 22 Llewellyn Adonis.

Western Province: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Morgan Newman, 11 Gio Aplon, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Luke Watson (capt), 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Adriaan Fondse, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw. Bench: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JD Moller, 18 Anton van Zyl, 19 Pieter Louw, 20 Bolla Conradie, 21 Paul Bosch, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.

Kickoff: 3pm. Referee: Marius Jonker. TV: Live on SS6.