Springboks’ Damian Willemse ready for the Italian job at the home of The Old Lady

For Damian Willemse, this weekend’s Test against Italy is about more than just another stop on the Springboks’ November tour.

It’s an opportunity to play at one of world football’s most storied venues. The Boks face the Azzurri at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, an unusual but enticing stage for Test rugby.

For Willemse, an unapologetic Arsenal fan, the novelty of the setting adds an extra spark to the build-up, especially after missing out on the chance to play at England’s iconic Wembley Stadium earlier on tour against Japan.

“Yeah, I’m a big football fan. I’m an Arsenal supporter,” Willemse said with some glee. “I think it’s going to be an incredible atmosphere playing at the Juventus stadium. I’ve never been there, so it’s going to be my first time. I’m sure a lot of the guys’ first time as well.”

“I’m really looking forward to playing at the venue, but first of all, we’ve got to make sure that we get our details and everything right throughout the week. Hopefully, then, we can enjoy Saturday.”

After a slow start to the Boks’ international campaign back in June and July, the utility back has worked his way back to his best form after a long injury lay-off that ruled him out of the 2024 season.

His return has been one of the success stories of the year, especially his Man-of-the-Match performance against the All Blacks in Wellington, where he started the game at inside centre, before moving back to fullback.

“Yeah, it’s really special to be back with the Boks,” he said. “I’m obviously very happy to have been playing almost the full season of the international season. I missed it last year due to injury, so I’m very happy to be healthy and fit again. And yeah, it’s been lekker with the boys to be back in the mix… just happy to be back playing again.”

Willemse’s revival has dovetailed with the Boks’ continued evolution, a group of players increasingly defined by their adaptability rather than rigid roles. And few players embody that shift more than the 26-year-old, who has featured at fullback, flyhalf and centre throughout his Test career.

In the win over France last Saturday, Willemse also had a front-row seat when hybrid player Andre Esterhuizen starred while moving between flank and inside centre.

The versatility of the Bok group definitely gives them a great advantage, especially when they are forced to chop and change when they get red or yellow cards.

“Yeah, it’s a super advantage,” Willemse said. “It’s something that the coaches have been moulding into me since I came into the setup in 2018. It’s definitely a role that I’ve grown into and something that I cherish to do for the team.

“We’ve got a lot of versatile players in our team… players who can be a utility, and that obviously helps with team selection and the plans that we want to go for each weekend. It plays a massive role in the way we play and obviously has a huge benefit for us as a team.”

But talk of Springbok strengths is followed by immediate acknowledgement of the challenge ahead against the much-improved Italians.

Italy have quietly strung together a run of strong performances, highlighted by last week’s win over Australia, and Willemse has seen their progress up close following a meeting with their United Rugby Championship teams while playing for the Stormers last month.

“It’s going to be a super contest,” Willemse warned. “They’re definitely going to bring a challenge to us. They’re on a high, and rightfully so. They’ve been playing very good rugby.”

“They really put us under pressure (earlier this year). We managed to win the home series, but again, they showed very good signs.”

“They’re really good, they’ve made that step up, and they’re getting great coaching. Italy has an all-round game — strong in the air, strong at set piece, defensively very good. It’s going to be a big battle.”