Province beat Bulls in race for World Cup-winning Bok's signature
BREAKING NEWS: Western Province has managed to beat the Bulls to the signature of a highly sought-after World Cup-winning Springbok.
Bok utility back Damian Willemse has signed a three-year contract extension with Western Province Professional Rugby (WPPR).
Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White has gone public with his desire to lure the 22-year-old to Pretoria.
A product of the Western Province Rugby youth structures who was identified as a dazzling talent from a young age, Willemse made his Stormers debut in 2017 at the age of 18 and went on to lift the Currie Cup with Western Province later that same year.
He has since gone on to earn 40 caps for the Stormers and has worn the famous blue and white hoops of Western Province 24 times, although he is still just 22.
Willemse played for SA Schools in 2015 and 2016, then went on to play for the Junior Springboks in 2016 and 2017 before making his Springbok debut in 2018 and forming part of the Rugby World Cup-winning squad in 2019.
The fleet-footed Willemse covers flyhalf, fullback and inside centre and is renowned for his work ethic and maturity beyond his years.
Stormers coach John Dobson said that securing a player of Willemse’s talents for the next three years is very encouraging.
“Damian is the kind of player that every coach would love to work with, he has natural ability in abundance and works incredibly hard,” Dobson said.
“We are all looking forward to working with him to keep improving so that he is able to reach his considerable potential and help us play the brand of eye-catching rugby that our fans want to see,” he added.
WPPR Chairman Ebrahim Rasool said that a player of Willemse’s calibre committing for three years shows that the future is indeed bright.
“Damian is a proud product of our structures in the greatest rugby talent pool in the world and to have him sign on for the next three years is very exciting.
“Retaining a player like Damian who is in such demand shows how serious we are about our vision for the future and we are looking forward to confirming more high-profile players who have decided to join us on this journey in the coming weeks,” he said.
