Yesterday, at the conclusion of the announcement of Huawei as the cellphone sponsor of South African rugby's "Big Five" - the Bulls, Cheetahs, Lions, Sharks and Western Province - Jean de Villiers embraced Pierre Spies.

He did this before catching a flight back to Cape Town.

The irony in the embrace is that Spies, the man who is set to lead the Bulls in their Super Rugby campaign this season, is on the verge of making a comeback after missing out on the bulk of the past two seasons due to a biceps injury.

De Villiers, on the other hand, is in a race against time for his troubled knee to recover for the World Cup later this year.

The pair also has in common the fact that they missed out on the Springboks' triumph at the 2007 World Cup.

Spies was withdrawn shortly before the tournament after blood clots were found in his lungs, while De Villiers only played the opening match before suffering a biceps injury.

De Villiers, the Springbok captain, is not yet keen to discuss the injury that could see him miss out on yet another World Cup if he does not recover within the eight months doctors expect him to be ready.

"Rehab is coming along alright," is all the Bok captain would say.

The road to recovery may still be a while away, but De Villiers is keeping a close eye on matters at Newlands ahead of the Stormers' Super Rugby campaign.

"Preparations have been going well and they are all excited about the season that lies ahead."

The Stormers kick off their Super Rugby crusade with a clash against Spies' Bulls on February 14 at Loftus Versfeld.