Jacques Nienaber has strongly indicated that Damian Willemse will be backed as the go-to flyhalf when the Springboks travel to Europe for the outgoing tour in November.
Willemse was one of two playmakers named in a 26-man training squad for the outgoing tour, the other being Vodacom Bulls flyhalf Johan Goosen.
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The Stormers playmaker showed he was more than capable of handling the responsibilities of a Test flyhalf in the home series against Wales and in the Rugby Championship.
Willemse got his opportunity at flyhalf in the absence of Handre Pollard and Elton Jantjies, who are both highly unlikely to play for the Springboks in November.
“There is a big debate about the flyhalf situation,” Nienaber said in a media conference on Tuesday. “We’ve got Handre and Elton, and then, if you want to put them in a pecking order, Damian Willemse stepped up nicely in the Rugby Championship.
“In the last game, we used Frans Steyn. In the alignment camps, we’ve had Goosen with us before the series against Wales as he was recovering from injury and he is getting a go now in the URC.
“If you look at that, it’s probably six flyhalves I have mentioned or six players who can cover us at flyhalf. There are also a couple of good performances from players in the URC and we are certainly keeping an eye on that.
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“We are comfortable with Damian and he has proven himself,” added Nienaber. “It would be nice to have Johan there to see how he performs and falls into our programme.”
Photo: Jason McCawley/Getty Images
