Damian Willemse must go back to fullback or inside centre as wing experiment backfires dismally for the DHL Stormers

The Selection experiment of playing Damian Willemse at wing must come to an abrupt end. The utility back is a very talented player that is accustomed to playing fly-half , inside centre and fullback. But wing , however has been a position where Willemse has dismally underperformed and been found wanting at times. Positionally he has been exposed as well and made some big errors in crucial matches. So therefore , Damian Willemse cannot continue to start on the wing and must either play at centre or fullback

Wasted and underused

Willemse is thus well-renowned for his versatility, having played fly-half, inside centre, and full-back for the Stormers and the Springboks, with many believing that he is best suited for the fullback position. The position where he started the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in. The 27-year-old also shone for the Stormers at inside centre jersey during the club’s URC title-winning season back in 2022 but because of a host of injuries and the end of Dylan Maart’s loan deal, he has been shifted onto the wing.

Willemse has started the Stormers’ last three matches on the right wing to ease the injury crisis, a selection call the player had a role in according to Dobson, while it has also aided the Cape-based team’s aerial game. However, Dobson says that the selection ploy cannot continue and is hopeful that the return to full fitness of Sulieman Hartzenberg will bolster the wing options with Seabelo Senatla still in the dock.

Wing Selection headache

The Stormers Boss sits with a big dilemma of who to select going forward and touched on it after Saturdays defeat against Connacht .“We wanted to get really good with the contestables. I think we won the first six, and I stopped my marking then. So that part of it worked, but Damian can’t be there forever. “Maybe Seabelo is back this week. We’ll see if Sulieman gets through this , So, hopefully we’re better. We’ve got to get our selections right. I think that’s going to be a challenge for us. Forwards might be easier than the backs, but the backs have quite a few permutations”

Speaking to the media on Monday, Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman ruled out the return of Senatla for this weekend and revealed that Hartzenberg is back in contention.“Suleiman played for the U23s last weekend, so he’s available,” said Snyman. “Seabelo may only be ready for the quarter-finals.”

While this could open up the opportunity for Willemse to shift to full-back or into the centres, Snyman said that the coaches were still weighing up their options with a focus on their proficiency under the high ball.“Rugby has become highly contested in the air, with a lot of kicking and aerial battles, and Damian is world-class , If we can use him there, where he’s done really well for us on the wing, it also frees him up to attack from almost anywhere on the field.“So he’s done a great job for us in that space. With Suleiman back, it does open up some options to maybe move him. But we’ll decide later in the week where exactly we’re going to use him.”