VIDEO - Willemse: A game the Springboks will remember for a long time
TURIN, ITALY: Damian Willemse will remember the Turin clash not for his man-of-the-match display, but for how the 14-man Springboks once again dug deep to secure a hard-fought win over the Azzurri.
The 27-year-old fullback was a rock in the Boks’ last defence and solid under the high ball, except for one or two occasions.
When he had space, he caused chaos despite great pressure from his opponents.
Willemse, who is just shy of his 50th cap, credited the forwards for his award, stating it should’ve gone to them.
“It was a very tough match.
“All credit to Italy for the way they played. We knew it was going to be an arm-wrestle from the start,” Willemse told Rugby365 after the game.
“Going down in the first 12 minutes with a red card made it a lot harder.
“Credit to the coaching staff and the players. I got the man-of-the-match, but the front row and the forwards did a hell of a job.
“They are probably more deserving of it than I am.
“It was a very good win for us. To come out in that second half and get those tries was really special.
“This is definitely a game that we will remember for a very long time,” Willemse commented.
*Article continues below…
He reflected on another game, only a week after the one against France, with a similar scenario, and how everyone in the squad rallied to make plans once more after a red card. And how they pulled together for the victory.
“At half-time, we came up with plans, and we all bought into it fully. And then when Marco [van Staden] went off, we came in again, we said we were going to try a few things and see if it works.
“We knew if we got an opportunity, we had to capitalise and put Italy under pressure.
“I am just really proud of the team. This is a full squad effort with the coaching staff and everyone involved.
“It’s been two tough games on the road, and to come to a place like this with Italian fans that were really loud.
“We knew every game was going to be hard, starting with Japan. We know our reality, and with our analysis, we knew France was going to be a big one.
“And playing Italy, we played them in July, and we saw what they could do. We knew tonight was going to be a big game.
“The way we prepared this week was outstanding. Just hats off to everyone, it wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t what we planned for, but we came up with solutions and that’s a sign of a great team and a team that is well coached,” he said.
Halfway through the second half, the South Africans in the crowd started chanting ‘Bokke, Bokke, Bokke,’ but they were in the minority in a sea of Italian supporters.
Willemse said that despite the vocal Italians, they heard them.
“We heard them; there were a lot of South Africans here. They came from all over, from Zurich, Germany, Paris, and England. We are very happy to have them supporting us on the road.
“We get the messages and we see what they are doing on social media. We feel it.
“The game could’ve gone either way, but we found a way to get the job done.”
