Damian Willemse of South Africa during the 2022 Castle Lager Rugby Championship match against New Zealand held at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 13 August 2022. Picture: Shaun Roy, BackpagePix
Cape Town – The Springboks have left us with more questions than answers, but Damian Willemse starting at flyhalf against the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday may fill in some blanks.
With Bok flyhalf incumbent Handré Pollard having suffered a knee injury, Willemse has been named in the general's role for their Rugby Championship meeting with the Wallabies as the South Africans take another shot at ending their drought Down Under.
Injury to any player is never a positive, but Pollard travelling to Leicester to complete his rehab at his club has necessitated a move that should have been made long ago.
When he burst onto the Super Rugby scene in 2017, Willemse was labelled ‘the future of the union' by then-Western Province coach, John Dobson.
And for good reason.
The young prodigy simply had no equal. And when it comes to raw talent, he still doesn't.
Willemse was all the rage as he quickly became hot property with his attacking trickery and the overall mastery with which he deceived defences.
He had the fans hopeful that the union's flyhalf issues would finally come to an end. A string of No.10s came before Willemse, but he was the most talented. He offered the most hope.
While the 24-year-old has grown into more than just a rugby magician, he hasn't been allowed to settle in one position.
With the Stormers, the Paul Roos product bounced between 10 and 15 and ultimately ran out in the No.12 jumper when Warrick Gelant touched down in Cape Town. And what a revelation he was there.
He was named in the United Rugby Championship Dream Team, the perfect cap to his side's history-making season.
Better yet, Willemse took his outstanding form into the Test arena, where he not only impressed at fullback, but also at inside centre. And now he gets to do the same at flyhalf in the absence of Pollard and Elton Jantjies, who is also injured.
But here's the thing – he needs to do it his way.
While Willemse's physicality has never been an issue, he has grown into a complete player. No longer is he just Mr Flash (not that he ever only offered that, his instinctive play and attacking abilities were just so eye-catching that the rugby public mainly zoomed in on that). He has now also become Mr Reliable, and he has moulded himself into a player who can bring physicality, stability, X-factor and ace goal-kicking.
Speaking during the team announcement press conference earlier this week, Bok coach Jacques Nienaber, while commenting on Willemse's selection in the driving seat, said: "Damian played for us at flyhalf in the second half of the first Test against Wales and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can bring. I'm quite excited to see his combination with (fullback) Willie le Roux.
"Damian possesses a very specific skillset, and that's what he needs to bring to this game. We're always telling the players that there is a broad game-plan that has to be followed, but you have the freedom to stamp your own authority on it.
"We call it bringing one's 'circus act' to the 'party'. That's what we're expecting from him."
That's good to hear, but that freedom needs to materialise on Saturday. We have often seen Willemse kick in the green and gold while anybody who's followed him over the years would know that he'd much rather have just played. And that shouldn't be the case, especially with a player like him.
Willemse has become the ultimate team man – slotting in wherever he is needed, with both the Stormers and the Boks.
But now, as he gets a starting run at 10 in the Bok jersey, he needs to be trusted to do it his way, his instinctive way.
Because if you take that away from him, you take away the very thing that makes him so special.