FEATURE: The Springboks’ missing link, back from injury, is set to be one of several additions when the year-end squad is named on Tuesday.
Utility back Damian Willemse, who has been sidelined since May after undergoing surgery on an injured finger, was a star performer for the Stormers in a 34-19 United Rugby Championship victory over Irish powerhouse Munster in Cape Town at the weekend.
The surgery resulted in the 26-year-old missing all the mid-year and Rugby Championship Tests.
The emergence of rookie Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who will miss the November internationals through knee surgery, pushed Willemse’s absence into the background.
However, Willemse, who has been capped 39 times and won two World Cups, will ensure he is front and centre at Tuesday’s Bok squad announcement.
Named Man of the Match for his efforts in the win over Munster in Cape Town, Willemse slotted four conversions, a penalty and a dropgoal – while he produced some great marshalling of his team from the flyhalf position.
However, his penalty (74th minute) and dropgoal (76th minute) took the score from a nervy 21-19 lead to a more comfortable 27-19 and ended the match as a contest.
Add in his 12 carries, for 59 metres, 15 passes, three offloads in the tackle, six defenders beat and nine tackles, and you get an idea of just how busy (read influential) he was.
It is that same influence he can have in the Tests against Scotland (November 10), England (November 16) and Wales (November 23).
And he can seamlessly slot in at flyhalf, inside centre or fullback – the latter a position where he started in 17 of his Bok Tests.
(Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson speaks about the value of Bok utility Damian Willemse….)
Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson admitted that he often gets ‘crucified’ for playing Willemse in different positions, having used him at flyhalf in the last two URC matches.
“He is such a team man,” Dobson said, adding: “He will say wherever the team needs me.
“He was playing at outside centre in the quarterfinal against Glasgow Warriors [last season].
“We just didn’t give him a No.13.
“He was playing outside centre. He just wore a No.13.
“He could have played on the wing. We would have just thought of another number to give him [to wear].”
Dobson admitted Willemse made mistakes in the 7-38 Round Four loss to Edinburgh the week before, but they were not ‘flyhalf-related’ mistakes.
“His last game at No.10 was in September last year [the 76-0 World Cup pool match win over Romania in Bordeaux].
“Throwing him in at No.10 against Edinburgh, you can expect one or two mistakes.
“However, today [Saturday against Munster] he was very, very good.”
Dobson revealed that Willemse continued to play, even though he took a blow to his pectoral muscle.
He described it as a ‘serious knock, but not a serious injury.’
“We wanted to replace him, but he said no he wants to keep playing.
“He is an amazing player, a real treasure.”
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