Opinion: Rassie Erasmus’ plan to ‘unleash’ confidence-lacking Damian Willemse pays massive dividends
Springboks back Damian Willemse and an inset of head coach Rassie Erasmus.
Rassie Erasmus’ man management can often fly under the radar, but it was on full display at Sky Stadium as the Springboks hammered the All Blacks, 43-10.
Wellington is a happy hunting ground for the Springboks in recent years, with South Africa now unbeaten in their last three visits, winning twice and drawing once.
However, Saturday was a different story entirely as not only did the men in Green and Gold beat the All Blacks, but they did so emphatically with a young backline, spearheaded by a glorious performance by Damian Willemse.
The 27-year-old became the youngest-ever double Rugby World Cup winner when he started at full-back in the 12-11 victory over New Zealand at the 2023 tournament in France, but his international career since then has stuttered.
Slow start post-2023 Rugby World Cup
In 2024, injury robbed him of adding to his Test cap tally, and when fit again in 2025, an unfortunate suspension saw him miss the start of the international season.
He returned to earn his first cap in nearly two years when he started at full-back in the 42-24 victory over Italy and backed that up with a try-scoring cameo off the bench against Georgia a week later.
However, his confidence took a hit in the 38-22 defeat to Australia at Ellis Park, where he produced an underwhelming performance and was subsequently omitted from the squad to face the All Blacks at Eden Park.
Speaking ahead of the meeting with the Wallabies in Cape Town, Bok boss Erasmus said that Willemse and fellow full-back Aphelele Fassi were lacking a bit of confidence, which led to the decision to name Willie Le Roux as the starting number 15 – he would withdraw on the eve of the match and be replaced by Fassi.
The Bok boss had hoped to rest the pair and rebuild their confidence ahead of the tour, and to his credit, the ploy worked stunningly for Willemse, particularly after Erasmus hinted that a plan was in place for him.
“Fassi has had a few starts now this year, and Damian Willemse knows what he must work on as a 28-year-old, double Rugby World Cup winner. We know that we have him as a banker there; we know when we are going to unleash him,” Erasmus said after naming his team for the clash at Eden Park, a match that Willemse was not involved in.
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The plan? Deploying Willemse at inside centre, his first start in the position in the Green and Gold jumper. It was a massive show of faith from Erasmus, with South Africa traditionally playing more bruiser-styled number 12s in the form of Damian de Allende and Andre Esterhuizen. But boy, did it work.
While Willemse certainly doesn’t shy away from the physical aspects of the game, he is more of a free-running, fleet-footed outside back as well as a brilliant playmaker.
But against the All Blacks, he showed the full array of his skillset as he rose to the challenge of filling De Allende’s massive void in the midfield. He was aggressive and intelligent when taking the ball to the line; he kicked just as well and was fierce defensively.
Erasmus not only backed Willemse in the centres but equipped him to thrive in doing so by pairing with his clubmate Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who started in the fly-half position. That combo has featured several times together for the Stormers and know one another’s games incredibly well. Feinberg-Mngomezulu was unfortunately forced off injured early in the match and replaced by Manie Libbok, again one of Willemse’s clubmates and the pair did not miss a beat.
Switching roles and rising to the occasion
Just before half-time, injury struck again with Fassi forced off the pitch and clearly beaming with confidence again, Willemse was tasked with shifting to the position where he started the World Cup final two years ago.
One would think that he’d need a second to adjust, but no, he simply went about the match in the same manner he started it, running stunning lines, dissecting the All Blacks’ backfield with pinpoint kicks, and when the Boks smelt blood, he was the one who emphatically hammered home the try to push South Africa into a commanding lead.
After a brilliant lineout steal by Ruan Nortje, Willemse received a bang average pass from Libbok, one that he had to be incredibly flexible to take, but he quickly re-adjusted, slipped through the double attempted tackle of Quinn Tupaea and Leroy Carter before muscling his way over the line.
The subsequent conversion pushed the Springboks into a 14-point lead with 20 minutes to play and served as a gut-wrenching punch to the All Blacks, completely taking the air out of Scott Robertson’s charges. If he was still lacking any confidence leading into the match, that try surely diminished it completely.
Willemse finished the match as the joint-top carrier for the Springboks, with Jasper Wiese also finishing the game with 14, while the pair also beat a team-high of six defenders- only Carter beat more (7).
He also made two line breaks, made 90 running metres, kicked six times, offloaded twice and made six tackles in what was a truly stunning outing.
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The 27-year-old laid down a marker, issuing a statement that he is well and truly back in business. The pressure of expectation is something Willemse has repeatedly overcome during his career after being tipped for a great career at the highest level as a schoolboy, and the role he played in the All Blacks’ heaviest-ever defeat is just another example of how he has been able to rise to the occasion and block out the noise.
Erasmus selections were dubbed a risk, and in the past, he has been labelled a maverick and genius, but one thing is clear: the head coach has a knack for getting the best out of players and is an underrated man-manager.
He even gave insight into how he achieved just that with a subtle push ahead of the game.
“I sent Damian Willemse a video last night of him chasing down Caleb Clarke in Nelspruit. I said to him, ‘You remember this?'”
He backed his man, told him that he believes in him and to his credit, Willemse rewarded his coach in spades.
