Barry facing tough fight
February 6, 2001

Western Province and Stormers centre De Wet Barry is keen to regain his place in the national set-up after a couple of months out in the wilderness.

After his meteoric rise from Vodacom Cup rugby to Springbok colours last year, it all went a bit downhill when he strained a hamstring during the Tri-Nations series in August. He missed the Boks' year-end tour and also lost his place in the Western Province starting line-up.

He will be hoping to emulate the Super 12 form that made him one of the finds of last season, but first he has to regain his place in the Stormers side for this season.

It may seem easy enough for someone of his calibre, but with the competition for places including the likes of Braam van Straaten, Robbie Fleck and Marius Joubert, the 22-year-old will be up against it.

"I see this year's Super 12 as an important opportunity to re-establish myself," he told the Cape Times. "I just hope that I get enough playing time in the competition. I'm feeling fit and healthy. If the opportunity presents itself, I'll seize it."

Barry, who accompanied the SA under-23 squad to Europe at the end of last year, believes the fight for positions is good for the team. "The situation with Braam is a concern, but you can't look past the fact that just about every time he lines up a penalty it's three points on the board.

"(But) I shouldn't really view the situation as a worry. It should serve as motivation. To have the depth we have at centre is very healthy as no-one can afford a disappointing performance," he said.

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