“My heart will always be 100% South African,” says Jean de Villiers

Jean De Villiers says he and his family plan to return to South Africa and make their home in Cape Town in the not too distant future. Photo: Resolution Health Medical Scheme

Former national rugby captain yearns for the people and flavours of home

Former national rugby captain Jean de Villiers may well be in England but his heart is firmly in South Africa, the country of his birth where he and his family will settle. “South Africa has so much going for it and we will always call Mzansi home. Quite honestly, my heart will always be 100% South African,” he says.

Following his retirement from South African test rugby, De Villiers and his family temporarily relocated to the United Kingdom in December so that he could play for the Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership. “It has been a wonderful experience so far, and has renewed my love of rugby. On a personal level it has given me the opportunity to spend more time with my wife and three children, which has been wonderful,” De Villiers enthuses.

“The kids were greatly excited when we got a sprinkling of snow just before Christmas, but it has not been easy for us to make friends because we are so busy. I think South Africans are also exceptionally friendly, and it has been a bit of a culture shock for us to adapt to life in a small village on the outskirts of Leicester.

“The English weather wears you down a bit and it isn’t fun training in the cold and wet, but overall it hasn’t been as bad as expected. There have been positive aspects too, as I feel my love of the game strengthening again.”

De Villiers is particularly animated as he talks about the South African food he is missing. “We have such lovely food in South Africa, and as a family we have missed that a lot. Nothing compares with South African rusks, for example, which are my favourite breakfast back home. We brought some spices over with us, which has helped to give us some of the authentic South African flavours we are used to.

“We were very lucky to find our favourite South African chutney brand at a local store, and the flavour filled me with nostalgia. There are some South African shops here, where you can get things like Marie biscuits and ‘real’ South African tomato sauce, but I haven’t been able to find proper biltong.”

“Our rugby club gives us some type of dried meat, which is excellent protein, but in terms of flavour it is nothing like the biltong we know and enjoy,” says De Villiers.

“We miss the support system offered by our extended family and friends back in South Africa. Because of the demands that small children bring to family life, my wife does not get much time out and, as a result, have not been able to socialise and make many new friends here.”

“Then there is our excellent South African healthcare system, which we so often take for granted, and which has served me so well in my professional rugby career. Back home, healthcare is something that has always been close to my heart, which is one of the reasons why I always enjoyed my role as brand ambassador for Resolution Health Medical Scheme and its wellbeing and rewards partner, Zurreal.”

“Having sustained a range of injuries in recent years has been a humbling experience that has taught me not to take my health for granted. But at the end of the day, injuries do happen, especially in a sport like rugby. They are a part of life, you just have to accept them, listen to your doctor and medical specialists and work hard to recover from them. Throughout the years I have benefitted from the care and expertise of the finest specialists and surgeons in South Africa and have always had an excellent medical scheme in my corner – this is hard to beat,” notes De Villiers.

“Perhaps I have been particularly lucky, because of my South African rugby career, to enjoy great local support. Through my work with Resolution Health and Zurreal, I have had the opportunity to promote causes that are close to my heart such as raising awareness around safety in school sports and recognising the incredible work nurses do. It is my hope that when I return to South Africa, I will still be in a position to make a contribution as an ambassador for health and wellness in the country.

“I miss South Africa’s people. Not only our friends and family, but the general warmth and friendliness of strangers that we often take for granted in South Africa. There are many South Africans living and working here in the UK, and whenever I hear someone speaking with our distinctive accent I feel a strong yearning to return home.”

De Villiers adds that he and his family plan to return to South Africa and make their home in Cape Town in the not too distant future. “Playing for the Leicester Tigers has been a wonderful experience, and as a family it has been a great adventure to live in another country for a while. My heart is 100% South African and it is only a matter of time before we come back home.”

Issued by:              Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) for Resolution Health Medical Scheme and Zurreal

Contact:                 Martina Nicholson and Meggan Saville

Telephone:          (011) 469 3016

Email:                      martina@mnapr.co.za or meggan@mnapr.co.za

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