Damian Willemse’s wing experiment ‘can’t’ continue as John Dobson concedes Stormers must get ‘selections right’
Stormers back Damian Willemse and an inset of John Dobson.
Stormers boss John Dobson says that it will be essential that he gets his selections right for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship top-of-the-table clash against Glasgow Warriors.
The Capetonians collide with Franco Smith’s men, who were hammered 54-12 by the Lions at Ellis Park last weekend. Meanwhile, the Stormers suffered a crushing 32-24 defeat at the hands of Connacht.
John Dobson: We have put ourselves in a difficult position
“It’s massive,” Dobson said, looking ahead to the URC clash against Glasgow.
“Getting nothing [no league points] out of today is very disappointing, very, very. We now have to win all three to get where we want to be, and that’s much easier said than done.”
He added: “We have put ourselves in a bit of a position now.”
The Stormers director of rugby rued the ‘individual errors’ of his team, with Connacht profiting off the bounce of the ball, a dropped restart, and an intercept en route to victory.
He added that the emotions following the sad passing of Stormers team manager Chippie Solomons could not be used as an excuse for the defeat, conceding that they were poor in defeat.
Looking ahead to the fixture against the Warriors, Dobson says that he needs to get his selections right, admitting that Springboks utility back Damian Willemse cannot continue to play on the wing.
Damian Willemse cannot continue to start on the wing
Willemse is 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 number 15 jumper, the position he started the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in.
The 27-year-old also shone for the Stormers in the number 12 jersey during the club’s URC title-winning season in 2022 but because of a host of injuries and the end of Dylan Maart’s loan deal, he has been shoehorned 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.
“Senatla is not fit yet. Sulieman is fit again, so we will have a look at him today,” Dobson said, referencing the Stormers XXIII’s SAU23 Cup match against the Bulls.
“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.”
He later added, “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.”
John Dobson identifies the reasons for Stormers’ ‘very disappointing’ defeat to Connacht
Stormers mull over options
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.”
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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,” the coach explained.
“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.”
