Willemse wing call backfires in Stormers defeat
There were quite a few mistakes the Stormers were left to rue following their 24-33 United Rugby Championship defeat to Connacht at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, and while it can’t exactly be classified as a “mistake”, selecting Damian Willemse on the wing is a choice that should certainly be reconsidered.
Given everything the Stormers played for in their Round 15 URC clash, criticising a host of things they did in that match almost feels in poor taste.
The Capetonians went into the game as an emotionally-charged outfit following the passing of team manager Christopher “Chippie” Solomon.
Speaking in the build-up to the fixture, head coach John Dobson described what Chippie meant to the team and how they would be playing for more than just log points.
The Stormers mentor explained that the game was significant for several reasons, “overwhelmingly for Chippie”, and that the home fixture would serve as both a tribute to the long-serving manager and a farewell to popular hooker Scarra Ntubeni, who played in his last game for the team he was loyal to for more than 15 years.
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The Stormers went into the game in second position in the standings with 51 points, while Glasgow, who suffered a 54-12 beating at the hands of the Lions, occupied the top spot and managed to hold onto it thanks to the Stormers’ defeat to Connacht.
Dobson again opted for Willemse at wing after experimenting with the Bok utility back in the No.14 jersey against Edinburgh in Round 14 three weeks ago, saying that the decision to deploy him on the wing was a joint decision between the coaching staff and Willemse and an attempt to mitigate Edinburgh’s contestable kicking game in Cape conditions.
And while Willemse – one of the best there is under the high ball – delivered a solid performance against the Scottish team, perhaps solid enough to justify another trial out wide, we have seen enough from those two experiments to know he is needed closer to action.
The skillful and immensely talented Willemse has mainly played at fullback, inside centre, and flyhalf for the Cape franchise and the Springboks, and his versatility has seen him produce successful performances in all three of those positions.
With his physicality, top-notch aerial abilities, and pace, it’s easy for the 27-year-old to slot in almost anywhere in the backline. But that doesn’t mean he should.
It should be said that Willemse didn’t do anything wrong at wing, it’s not like hid two stints in the position we’re flops.
But having him in his more trusted position at fullback or centre will not only make more effective use of his abilities and consistency in the thick of things, but also ease a lot of the pressure on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has mixed game-management issues with moments of individual and try-creating brilliance.
The Stormers now turn their focus to a home clash against log-leaders Glasgow before embarking on a two-match European tour to close out the regular season with games against Ulster and Cardiff ahead of the play-offs.
Securing victories in those games – games that can already be expected to be no walk in the park away from home against two sides who will be pushing to move closer to home play-off berths – will be vital for the Stormers to cling onto the upper-end of the points ladder.
And having Willemse out on the wing, removed from action, is no way to make things any easier.
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