Jan Serfontein
Jan Serfontein is hoping to see more attacking ball this weekend than he has in his first two Tests at outside centre for the Springboks.
Having played all of his rugby at No.12, Serfontein was picked outside captain Jean de Villiers in the two Rugby Championship away defeats to Australia and New Zealand which saw him make more of an impact on defence than attack.
rugby365
He made 21 tackles against the Wallabies in Perth and 24 against the All Blacks in Wellington to top the Springbok defensive stats, but chances to take on defenders were few and far between.
Although happy with the way he has adjusted to his new role, Serfontein is hoping that he will get more opportunities to take the ball up with the Boks expected to enjoy more possession on home soil.
“At 12 you get a lot of time to get the ball and put it up, especially on first phase in our structure. At 13 being that channel wider you don’t get as much ball so there has had to be some adaptation.
“I don’t want to get used to it because I like getting the ball in my hands, but hopefully in the next two games I can get a bit more ball on attack,” he said.
The 21-year-old said that the major difference between the two centre positions is on first phase, and added that playing alongside someone of De Villiers’ experience has made the process much easier.
“With 12 and 13 it is just one channel wider so it is just off first phase that it is actually a bit of a change but in general play we switch around. So it is not too big of a difference but I have been adapting quite well and I am enjoying it.
“Playing next to Jean he really brings a calmness to the backline and he also helps me so it is nice being next to him with his experience.
“He makes it easy for you, the fact that he has played 100 Tests and he has got so much experience, you can really feel it when you are next to him on the field. He also tends to make the right decision more often than not and his communication just makes it so much easier,” he said.
However, as easy as it might be to play outside someone of De Villiers’ calibre, there is no doubting that Serfontein’s best position is at inside centre and it seems just a matter of when and not if he will make the position his own.
His partnership with his 2012 Junior World Championship-winning flyhalf Handre Pollard is an exciting one that should see them play many Tests next to one another, and Serfontein admitted that they suit each other well as they both like to play close to the gainline.
“Handre has made the step up really well, 20 years old being flyhalf in New Zealand I think is really difficult with the pressure and everything and I think he handled it really well.
“He also brings something new to our game attacking flat and also defensively he is very strong so he is the perfect 10 if you look at it in that way.
“We are both still youngsters so hopefully we can play for a long time together,” he said.
Everyone has known about Serfontein’s potential since he was at school, and the biggest concern, as with any promising young player, was whether he would be managed well enough to make it at the highest level.
Although not currently playing in his preferred position he is gaining valuable Test experience, and will eventually claim his captain’s No.12 jersey in good time.