Cape Town – It was a bit of a surprise to see Damian Willemse go on tour with the Stormers, but that was his own choice, according to defence coach Norman Laker.
Willemse played an integral part in the Springboks’ season, whether at fullback or flyhalf, and it would have been expected that he would take a breather at the end of the Rugby Championship.
Instead, the 24-year-old utility back got straight into the thick of things for the Stormers at inside centre in last week’s 34-18 United Rugby Championship win over Edinburgh at Cape Town Stadium, and will feature in Saturday’s clash against Zebre in Parma (4pm SA time kick-off) – possibly at fullback in the absence of Clayton Blommetjies, who is getting married this weekend.
Joseph Dweba, Deon Fourie, Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe are all being rested after being part of the Bok squad throughout 2022, although only the two props played regularly.
But other Boks such as Willemse, Herschel Jantjies, Salmaan Moerat, Marvin Orie and Evan Roos are all set to be part of the Stormers 22 at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi on Saturday.
“The guys that stayed behind are guys who have played quite a lot of rugby for the Springboks. They left after the (URC) final, on the Sunday, played three Test matches against Wales, and then the (Rugby) Championship,” Stormers defence coach Norman Laker said from Parma on Wednesday.
“I think they had about two days off in between … They are human beings and need rest, like the rest of us. So, that was the thinking behind it – to make sure that we have the freshest players possible for us in the home part of the season, which is quite important for player safety and so on.
“That was his (Willemse’s) choice, that he would like to play. The strain, if you are talking about the props, Steven and Frans … they have been 60-odd minutes in every game in the front row, stopping 10 mauls, maul 10 times, scrum 12-15 times per game – it’s quite a lot.
“And both those players are 30-plus, where Damian is 24-years-old. He asked to be part of the tour and he wants some rugby. That’s the difference between the three guys.”
The Stormers are on a 13-match unbeaten run, which started last season in a 22-22 draw with the Sharks in Durban in January this year.
They will be favourites to knock Zebre over on Saturday as well, but are not concerned about living up to the standards set by the Lions and Sharks, who have won both their matches on tour so far.
“It’s (winning streak) something I haven’t thought about at all, from last season. You just take each match as it comes, and make sure you are well prepared for it,” Laker said.
“I didn’t even know it’s so many games, but we just take it week for week, and every week, we want to produce the best possible performances for the people out there and our supporters.
“I don’t think it (Sharks and Lions doing well on tour) puts pressure onto us as a team, as we have certain goals that we would like to achieve in the three games lying ahead of us.
“It’s about improving in every single game, and in the past weekend against Edinburgh, there were a few things that we weren’t happy with, and are building on to make sure we get it right this coming Saturday against Zebre.”
IOL Sport