De Villiers feeling the nerves
Fun and games: De Villiers is feeling the nerves as kick-off draws nearer
Three games into his Springbok coaching career and Peter de Villiers is starting to feel the nerves ahead of Saturday's Tri-Nations opener against New Zealand in Wellington.
All week in training De Villiers has been full of laughs and generally in a jovial mood, although as the game looms larger on the horizon so has his demeanour begun to change.
Now, with less than a day to go before South Africa look for their first win on New Zealand soil in ten years, De Villiers has admitted he is feeling nervous.
"I'm very nervous for one reason only, it's New Zealand in New Zealand," de Villiers told NZPA.
"I know they've tried to play a few mind games, telling us that we are the favourites.
"The one fact is that we are the world champions, that is true. But I don't think any other team will ever enter the shores of New Zealand and be the favourites here."
Take England for example, they came to New Zealand in 2004 as world champions only to be sent packing on the back of two heavy defeats.
De Villiers is aware of Graham Henry's mind games, but is not letting them or New Zealand's off-field problems detract from South Africa's focus.
"If we're going to focus on their mishaps, we're going to lose the plot," he said.
"We have our future in our own hands."
In contrast to their coach, the South African players have exuded an air of self-belief, fuelled by their triumph in France last October.
Influential flanker Schalk Burger makes his first Test start of the year after overcoming injury and detected a more confident mood than usual going into an All Blacks Test.
"It's one thing to be in contention but then another thing to actually believe you can win the match," Burger said.
"That's something we've never achieved as a group."
Meanwhile, Bryan Habana believes last year's World Cup triumph will push his side onto greater things, both this week and next in Dunedin.
"We want to come out here and prove ourselves worthy of the number one spot in the world. It's a great desire for each and every player," Habana said.