Danie de Villiers
Despite taking Roma Olimpic to their first final trophy in 11 years, the exceptionally talented De Villiers finds himself back in South Africa due to the tragic dissolvement of the historic Italian rugby club.
Name: Danie de Villiers
Date of Birth: 05/05/72
Currently contracted to: Unattached
This extremely gifted, dedicated and dynamic coach draws from experience on provincial, national and even the international arena. De Villiers has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and skills in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres and coached a list of 7’s and 15’s club, provincial and international teams that include Tunisia (National Team), Roma (Italy Top 10) as well as Boland Cavaliers and Pumas (Currie Cup).
This highly experienced coach’s proven track record speaks for itself. As head coach of the Tunisian National Team, De Villiers’s involvement transpired into an all time high IRB ranking as well as participation at the 2009 IRB 7’s World Cup. As head coach of Rugby Roma Olimpic (Italy Top 10) in 2011, De Villiers led Roma to their 1st Final Trophy in 11 years; to name but only a few impressive accomplishments. Furthermore, De Villiers also participated in 15 semi-finals and 14 finals/championships.
Drawing on nearly a decade of professional coaching experience, De Villiers follows a pragmatic, yet eclectic philosophy to coaching. A stern believer in the credo “Work hard, do the small things well”, the meticulous De Villiers believes that “He who fails to prepare- prepares to fail”. De Villiers is a creative-analytical problem solver, always willing to learn something new and welcomes the input of others. Neither autocratic nor permissive, De Villiers is by nature a democratic leader. This approachability does not only make De Villiers a very effective coach but also a well respected leader.
De Villiers has an acclaimed ability to spot talent in both coaches and players. With a strong focus on succession planning regarding players and management, this talented coach has proven to be well capable of building a winning team.
