Willemse’s class act sparks inside centre debate

AFTER Damian Willemse went over to score - with a few players on his back - for one of the defining tries in the Springboks’ demolition of the All Blacks, he thumped his chest in celebration. It seemed like an emotional release after a tough couple of years since his starring role in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against the same opposition in Paris.

- JOHN GOLIATH

Willemse had missed the Springboks’ entire 2024 calendar with injury and looked extremely rusty at the start of this year’s Test season. But against the All Blacks, at inside centre, he looked like a man on a mission - a man determined to show his undoubted ability and class.

In the process, he also gave Rassie Erasmus and his coaching staff some food for thought with his performance in the No 12 jersey - and when he switched to fullback later in the match.

Utility back Willemse is a proper Swiss army knife, having played almost every position in the Bok backline. But he arguably produced his best performance in a Bok jersey at inside centre in Wellington. He combined underrated physicality with fast footwork, distributed intelligently, carried with venom and defended with composure. It was a complete performance — and one that reignites the conversation around the Springboks’ midfield options heading into the next World Cup cycle.