It has been confirmed that Damian Willemse has been ruled out of the Springboks’ end-of-year tour which starts today.
Willemse suffered the injury while scoring a try for the Stormers in their 28-17 defeat against the Glasgow Warriors in Stellenbosch in round six of the United Rugby Championship on Saturday evening, sparking concern over his availability for the Boks.
On Sunday, those fears turned into reality with confirmation of the utility back’s withdrawal from the Springboks’ traveling squad due to a groin injury.
Willemse’s withdrawal follows that of utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels earlier this week due to an ankle injury, which resulted in the call-ups of Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) and Wilco Louw (prop).
Willemse was replaced by Cameron Hanekom, meaning the Springbok squad now includes 20 forwards and 15 backs.
RASSIE ERASMUS LAMENTS WILLEMSE LOSS
Erasmus admitted that while the loss of Willemse was a blow, Hanekom’s call-up was well deserved after knocking on the door for the last season.
“Damian has been in great form the Stormers since returning from injury and we feel for him after missing out on all 10 Test matches this season due to a finger injury,” said the Springboks boss.
“We are comfortable with the depth and versatility we have among the backs in the squad, so we decided to include another forward to add to our loose forward stocks,” he added.
The Springboks will depart for a training camp in Jersey, the largest of the largest of the Channel Islands between England and France, on Sunday. The group will then make the journey to Edinburgh on Sunday 3 November for their opening Test of the tour.
The Springboks will face Scotland in Edinburgh (Sunday 10 November), England in London (Saturday 16 November) and Wales in Cardiff (Saturday 23 November) on their traditional end-of-year tour.
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