Stormers utility back Damian Willemse will earn his 107th cap, and 100th start, for the Cape Town union on Saturday. Picture: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images Utility back Damian Willemse says he will play a composed game of rugby, expecting a fierce aerial battle in the Stormers–Bulls URC derby on Saturday. The Springbok makes his 100th start for the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium (kick-off at 6pm).
He starts at inside centre, where he earned theman-of-the-match awardduring South Africa’s 43-10 win over New Zealand in Wellington in September. Willemse described the north-south derby as huge, almost as intense as Test rugby. But he hoped his team would not let the occasion get the better of them, rather focusing on the basics and good communication.
The Stormers hoped to secure their 10th win in a row in all competitions this season. The Bulls, meanwhile, had lost five games consecutively and were in the midst of acoaching shuffle. “It’s a big occasion, not just for myself but for all of us at the union.
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Especially for where we are in the season,” Willemse said. He described the aerial game as massive: “The set-piece and defence will come from that. Whoever wins the kicking game will have the ball… “We’ve prepped this week very well and know whatthe Bullswill bring.
They are a very strong team, with about 16 or 17 Boks. Willie le Roux, Handré Pollard, the front three are Springboks, Nortjé… some serious players. “We are strong defensively and must try to read the game.
They will come hard, Canan Moodie will come hard. We must try get those jackals in the middle of the field. The scramble defence, they’ve got Sebastian de Klerk, Stravino Jacobs, Willie (le Roux).
They’ve got good players and we will have to be on our toes.” Willemse said he would have to “just do my job” in his 107th cap for theCape Town union. “I don’t feel like I need to be extraordinary. It’s going to a derby and tight. We need to be dialled in, get the communication right with the rest of the team.
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