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Damian Willemse had a bad day at the office
- Damian Willemse’s dubious early form since resuming home rugby should have been too concerning, believes Team Gold coach Deon Davids.
- The 22-year-old center Stormers had a poor game at the Springbok Showdown in Newlands, particularly in terms of his kicks.
- His lack of authority was in stark contrast to his direct opponent, Elton Jantjies, who stood his ground behind a dominant group.
Deon Davids, Team Gold coach at the Springbok Showdown, thinks it’s premature to read too much in Damian Willemse fight in flyhalf since the restart of local rugby.
The 22-year-old center’s highly publicized battle with Elton Jantjies, his direct Green Team opponent, did not materialize when he experienced a night of punishment, particularly with the boot.
Two of his three goal attempts, which went straight ahead, were wide open, while he also missed a major touch kick.
Compounding matters was his yellow card early in the second half for desperately and brazenly shooting Team Green wing Yaw Penxe when he was sure to score a try.
A penalty trial was subsequently awarded.
“We all know Damian is a special talent,” Davids said after a 9-25 loss for his team at Newlands.
“He can win your games. Players go through cycles where they just don’t have some of their best nights and Damian probably didn’t have one of his best nights.”
Davids, who knows, is returning to his portfolio as the Springboks forward coach, though he also feels there were extenuating circumstances that contributed to the Stormers’ poor performance.
“We were under pressure and the conditions were a bit tough. It’s still early in the season,” he said.
“But a guy with his experience and skill will definitely bounce back. He would have learned to handle the pressure better after this and will also be stronger.”
In contrast, Jantjies was the steadfast personified behind a dominant group as he ran affairs well for the Green Team.
It is true that there was little pyrotechnics, but it was not necessary either.
“We wanted this game to be as close to a test as possible,” said Mzwandile Stick, Team Green coach.
“We had Elton at 10 with a good kicking game. We wanted to apply pressure in the air because we didn’t want to give players like Warrick Gelant and Rosko Specman time and space.”
