New UWC Director of Rugby Peter de Villiers believes he has more work to do off the field than on it ahead of the Varsity Shield.

The former Springbok coach has taken the reins of the Cape outfit and admitted that he has plenty of work to do in order to mould them into a team that can deliver consistently.

UWC have proven over the last two years that they have the ability to beat any side in the competition on their day, but have not been able to maintain those standards over an entire season.

De Villiers believes that his biggest challenge this season will be to ensure that the players are operating in an environment that allows them to perform to their potential consistently.

He told varsitycup.co.za: "I have not followed the team as closely as I should have due to time constraints, but I do understand the community that they come from and I do understand the structures that holds them back.

"It is something that you need to change holistically, it is a community thing, it is where they come from and what they are used to.

"I have identified more things off the field, because the talent is there, it is just the consistency which has been impacted by the way they grew up," he explained.

De Villiers said that he would like to see the players develop to the point where they can make their own decisions and take responsibility for them - both on and off the field.

"I think they have been placed under so many restrictions  We do so much for our players and when they have to make their own decisions they can't.

"The potential is there, but to fulfill that potential mindset and the way they look at things, the way that they can stand up for themselves and take responsibility.

"They never decide things for themselves, they always just listen and then do, and that is not what rugby is all about," he said.

The experienced coach said that he is looking forward to this new challenge which he believes is about far more than just rugby.

"This is a role I can do every day of my life, I am used to these things. It is about getting the off-field stuff on par with the on-field stuff and that is my biggest challenge at the moment," he told varsitycup.co.za.

FNB UWC open their Varsity Shield campaign on Monday, February 4 when they welcome former Varsity Cup outfit FNB TUT to the UWC Sports Stadium in Bellville.