Damian Willemse’s Wellington masterclass sparks Springboks inside centre debate

After Damian Willemse went over to score — with a few players on his back — for one of the defining tries in the Springboks’ demolition of the All Blacks, he thumped his chest in celebration.

It seemed like an emotional release after a tough couple of years since his starring role in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against the same opposition in Paris.

Willemse had missed the Springboks’ entire 2024 calendar with injury and looked extremely rusty at the start of this year’s Test season. But against the All Blacks, at inside centre, he looked like a man on a mission — a man determined to show his undoubted ability and class.

In the process, he also gave Rassie Erasmus and his coaching staff some food for thought with his performance in the No 12 jersey — and when he switched to fullback later in the match.

Utility back Willemse is a proper Swiss army knife, having played almost every position in the Bok backline. But he arguably produced his best performance in a Bok jersey at inside centre in Wellington.

He combined underrated physicality with fast footwork, distributed intelligently, carried with venom, and defended with composure. It was a complete performance — and one that reignites the conversation around the Springboks’ midfield options heading into the next World Cup cycle.

The Boks are not short on inside centres — far from it. Damian de Allende has been a pillar of Bok midfield solidity for nearly a decade, forming a near-telepathic partnership with Lukhanyo Am and Jesse Kriel that played a pivotal role in the 2019 and 2023 World Cup triumphs.

De Allende’s power game, hard running lines, and breakdown nous have been central to the Springboks’ success. He also has a very underrated passing game, which has for years been put on the back burner due to the Boks’ rigid game plans during his time in the side.

But what Willemse showed in Wellington was something different: a midfielder who can keep defences guessing. He played flat and took the ball to the line, brought runners into space, and offered a secondary kicking option that disrupted the All Blacks’ backfield.

His ability to transition from first to second receiver added a layer of unpredictability to South Africa’s attack — something Bok attack guru Tony Brown is clearly keen to harness.

Behind Willemse and De Allende, there’s also André Esterhuizen — the Sharks wrecking ball who offers a direct, physical threat, but whose soft skills were also on display during the Wellington drubbing of the All Blacks.

Esterhuizen, who has been turned into a hybrid player to pack down at flank when needed by Erasmus, showed his support play and brute strength when he bumped off Beauden Barrett to score the Boks’ sixth try. But he also produced a silky long pass that saw Cheslin Kolbe get the space to beat his defender and go over for his second try.

The Springboks essentially have three world-class operators at inside centre — but only one of them can wear the No 12 jersey.

The big question is: where does Rassie Erasmus see Willemse’s future with the Boks, especially as he appears to be the best fit for the new style of rugby they want to play?

Of course, one performance doesn’t guarantee a long-term shift. De Allende remains the incumbent in the big matches for a reason. But Willemse’s showing in Wellington wasn’t a fluke — it was the result of a player finally being given a run in a role that suits his skill set, in a system designed to maximise it.

However, in the short term, Willemse will probably slot in at fullback in the upcoming Rugby Championship Tests against Argentina, after Erasmus said that Aphelele Fassi’s ankle injury sustained against the All Blacks in Wellington “looks serious”.

But in the long term, don’t be surprised if Willemse becomes the Boks’ first-choice inside centre ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.