Bok star suffers injury on eve of tour
NEWS: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus will be sweating over the fitness of one of his key players ahead of their five-match November tour.
After the Stormers’ 31-16 victory over Benetton in Treviso, Director of Rugby John Dobson confirmed that Damian Willemse suffered an injury in the match, but he continued to play on.
“Damian has probably got a pulled hamstring,” said Dobson.
“He got moved to the wing, which I thought was very clever from Ruhan [Nel], so that he didn’t have to defend too much. It just sums up the character.
“It has probably put some of his tour at risk. He didn’t want to come off and kept playing for the Stormers, which was very special.”
Meanwhile, Dobson had plenty of praise for his squad after they ended their three-match tour unbeaten after that victory in Treviso.
“It’s a very special win for us. We never won here [in Treviso] and it was a very tough game,” Dobson explained.
“They [Benetton] rolled out their internationally laden team.
“It was incredibly tough in the first half. It was different tactics from what we’ve faced in the first four rounds.”
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Best on show in Treviso was Jurie Matthee. #BENvSTO #inittogether @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/sllyn6NyJi
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) October 25, 2025
Dobson added: “To go on a tour unbeaten for a team that travels badly is a very special achievement by a special group.
“The impact from the bench was amazing. Zach [Porthen], Adre [Smith], Ruben [van Heerden] and Ruan [Ackermann] – that has been the secret in all the games. Whoever has been on the bench, there are big forwards coming on that have made a big difference.
“Cobus Reinach is obviously a special player. I was thrilled with Jurie Matthee as the game driver.
“We were thinking about life without Manie [Libbok] and Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu], and then we’ve got a very competent and talented young player who can drive a team.”
The Stormers’ next match will be against Munster in Limerick on November 29.
The Capetonians are sitting at the top of the standings with five wins from five matches.
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