Damian Willemse is the kid who dazzled and bamboozled the Bulls in scoring one of the great individual Currie Cup tries at Newlands in 2017. On Saturday, in his 100th Stormers appearance, the kid was very much the senior statesman.
Willemse is among an elite minority who started their professional careers at the age of 18, with his Stormers debut coming at 18 years and 301 days against the Kings in Super Rugby.
It was the solo try, in the Currie Cup, for Western Province against the Bulls on August 12 when he announced himself to the professional game. Willemse, a standout schools flyhalf for Paul Roos Gimnasium, Western Province and South Africa, jinxed his way past six tacklers to score under the posts and set Western Province on their way to a convincing win.
The kid had a step and an attitude that screamed confidence. Nearly a decade later and the matured athlete still has that step, and the attitude is still characterised with the confidence that anything is possible.
Willemse, who turned 27 earlier in the week, has done it all on the rugby field and won it all. He was part of Western Province’s 2017 Currie Cup title-winning team, influential in the Stormers winning the inaugural United Rugby Championship title, won the Rugby Championship with the Springboks and, at 25, was the youngest player ever to win two World Cup gold medals.
Exclusive club of players
He can play and, when needs be, he can kick as well, with his match-winning penalty for the Springboks against Wales a few seasons back a memorable clutch moment. He is among the exclusive club of players who have scored tries and kicked drop goals, conversions and penalties for Western Province, the Stormers and the Springboks.
His commitment to the game is emphasised through his playing minutes. He gives it his all, and he has started in 94 of his 100 matches for the Stormers, averaging 73 minutes a game.
His initial role with the Springboks was as a utility back and part of the Bomb Squad — the famed Bok substitutes who, as a collective, added the most powerful finishes to Test match rugby in the past six years.
His role changed in 2023, and he was the starting fullback at the World Cup and in the World Cup final. He has started 26 of his 40 Tests and averages 47 minutes a Test. That average will be closer to 60 minutes come the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
Treasure for SA
Willemse is a gift to the game, and he is a treasure for the Stormers and South Africa. His loyalty is such that he rejected the biggest overseas offers in 2022, as well as massively enticing numbers from the Bulls, to sign a five-year contract extension with the Stormers.
Players rarely sign beyond three years, but Willemse was clear he wanted to play his rugby in Western Province for the Stormers. Even if it meant the money was less, the joy and satisfaction was bigger than any cash incentive.
That attitude is rare in professional sport. The majority chase the numbers financially.
Willemse could have picked any club team in the world in 2022 and named his price. He chose his first love, Western Province, and by extension the Stormers, knowing that they could not compete with any international price.
Milestone applauded
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson, in applauding Willemse’s 100th match milestone, said Willemse — as a person and a generational talent — had to be savoured. He is special and Dobson spoke of the compliment it is to the Stormers that Willemse wanted to play his rugby in Cape Town.
Forbes, a year ago, included Willemse in the 30 Under-30 Awards, and on a humanitarian level, he aligned with Vida e Caffe and One Tree Planted because of his concern for reforestation and climate change by planting trees in Cape Town.
He is also an ambassador for Adidas’s Run for the Oceans, which focuses on reducing marine plastic pollution.
To quote the Stormers captain Salmaan Moerat, Willemse is “a great rugby player and an even greater human being”.
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