Damian Willemse has credited experienced Springbok teammate Elton Jantjies for preparing him for his assured performance at flyhalf against the Wallabies in Sydney. DYLAN JACK reports.

Willemse handled the positional switch from fullback to flyhalf with ease as he contributed to a historic win for the Springboks over the Wallabies in Australia.

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Post-match, Willemse credited under-fire teammate Jantjies, who has copped more than his fair share criticism for his own performances this year.

“It wasn’t really that tough. Slotting in tonight was just a bit of a different role,” said Willemse. “I have been getting reps there and I enjoyed tonight. Credit to the coaching staff and everybody who helped me throughout the week; Elton as well, he was massive and had a big contribution to my performance.

“Elton is an absolute team guy,” added Willemse. “The way he has helped me since I came into the squad as a young guy in 2018 has been amazing. He has helped me a lot with my kicking. I have to give credit to him for the performance I had tonight. The way he helped me prepare, keeping me calm, that was very selfless.”

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In a far more clinical performance, the Springboks scored four tries against the Wallabies, with wings Canan Moodie (on debut) and Makazole Mapimpi grabbing one each.

“The balance was pretty good. The way we suffocated the Wallabies, we had a lot of territory in their half and converted that into scoreboard pressure,” said Willemse. “We ran the ball when we had the overlap, but I thought the balance was good.

“The tactical kicking from Willie with his left boot, Jaden was outstanding with his kicks from No 9 and we had two guys, Canan and Mapimpi, chasing those kicks. They got into a lot of contestables, which gave us the opportunity. So, our balance between running and kicking was pretty good.”

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