Stormers captain Jean de Villiers believes the Super 14 defending champions Crusaders will hit a revival after struggling in the beginning stages of the competition.

The Crusaders have traditionally been the early pace setters in the competition but in 2009 they embarked on their campaign without ace playmaker Dan Carter and coach Robbie Deans. The experienced trio of captain Richie McCaw, Leon Macdonald and Brad Thorn also missed some of the early action.

The Crusaders bounced back to beat the Waratahs last weekend after losing to the Highlanders and drawing with the Force in the previous two rounds. De Villiers stressed that this is a sign that Crusaders are starting to build some momentum.

“The Crusaders is not a team with many weak points. Everybody knows they initially battled with a new coach and several injuries,” De Villiers said in an interview on the Stormers’ website.

“They are finding their feet now and are showing better form and they would be smarting for a win at home after losing a few there earlier.”

De Villiers said every game was important in the Super 14 and they don’t regard this one as more important than the rest because it was the first one.

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Stormers and Springbok fans and coaching staff would have breathed a sigh of relief this weekend with the news that the injury sustained by Jean de Villiers is not that serious.

De Villiers took a heavy knock to the head four minutes into the second half of the 15-20 Super 14 loss to the Sharks at Newlands on Saturday and he was stretchered off and taken to hospital immediately.

It was feared that he would be out for a long time.

However, Stormers media manager Frikkie Erasmus said on Sunday allayed those fears.

Even though De Villiers was taken to hospital for tests on Saturday, he was later discharged.

“I have spoken to the doctor and he has reassured me that it is nothing serious,” Erasmus said.

“Jean will be playing again as soon as he feels comfortable.

“We don’t know yet how long he will be out, but he was just taken to hospital as precaution and the tests were also precautionary.

“He is stiff and sore but other than that it is nothing serious. It is definitely not concussion and he suffered more from whiplash. We will be monitoring his situation during the week.”

* There was no immediate news on the other Springbok, lock Victor Matfield, who also suffered an injury at the weekend.

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The Stormers launched their Super 14 campaign on Wednesday at Newlands with an introduction ceremony. The Stormers girls entertained the crowd after which Rassie Erasmus spoke briefly about the season. Jean de Villiers, Stormers captain, then proceeded to introduce the players ony by one.

The Stormers‘ run of good form at the end of last year’s Super 14 have given the Stormers and their captain Jean de Villiers alot of confidence nearing this year’s campaign.

“De Villiers, 2008′s South African Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year, highlighted the importance of home victories in the Super 14 and says the Stormers are perfectly placed to build on the winning culture they created at Newlands in the latter stages of the 2008 season.

“When we came back from the overseas leg we did not lose a match at Newlands.

“We also won every game in the Currie Cup with our strongest team for Western Province. So it does give us a lot of confidence,” he said.

De Villiers was the Stormers’ star player in 2008, which was also his first season as captain. He then starred in the Boks’ Tri-Nations campaign and led Western Province in the Currie Cup before the Boks’ year-end tour.

With the British & Irish Lions series looming, De Villiers is among a core group of Springboks that needs to be carefully managed.

However, the 27-year-old says he won’t be asking for any sabbaticals in this year’s southern hemisphere showpiece.

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The Springbok centre Jean de Villiers took both the ‘SA Rugby Player’ and ‘Player’s Player of the Year’ awards at rugby’s annual awards banquet sponsored by Absa, Sasol and Vodacom which took place at a glittering ceremony at Vodaworld, Midrand on Tuesday.

“The 27-year-old Vodacom Western Province player was the clear winner in a poll of South African rugby journalists for the SA Rugby Player of the Year title ahead of four players from the Sharks Bismarck du Plessis, Adrian Jacobs, Ryan Kankowski and Beast Mtawarira.

De Villiers completed a memorable double as he was also awarded the prestigious Players` Player of the Year Award, voted for by members of the South African Rugby Players` Association (SARPA) the first man to complete the double since Ashwin Willemse won both in the 2003 season.

Ryan Kankowski`s outstanding year was recognised with four nominations although he had to settle for just one award as the Sharks No 8 was chosen Vodacom Super 14 Player of the Year. He was also nominated for Sasol Young Player of the Year and Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year as well as for the main award.

His back-row colleague Jean Deysel also had his devastating form in the Sharks run to the title recognised when he was named Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year.

And completing the Sharks joy was the award of two of the three new categories introduced this year. John Plumtree was chosen as Absa Coach of the Year after helping the Sharks end their 12-year wait for a title with victory on the Absa Currie Cup final, while the Sharks Super 14 was named as Vodacom Team of the Year after returning to the play-offs for a second successive year,

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