BOK SHOCK: Willemse out injured, replaced by Hanekom
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus made a surprise decision to call up Bulls loose-forward Cameron Hanekom in the place of injured backline player Damian “Gaza” Willemse for the end-of-year tour to the UK.
Willemse injured his groin in the Stormers’ 28-17 loss to Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Saturday and could be sidelined for up to two months.
While most expected Erasmus to replace the back-to-back World Cup winner with another versatile back, like on-fire Sharks star Jordan Hendrikse, the Bok coach explains why he named No.8 Hanekom instead: “Damian has been in great form for the Stormers since returning from injury and we feel for him…
“But as was the case with Wilco [Louw] and Johan [Grobbelaar’s] call-up [for the injured Jan-Hendrik Wessels], we are excited to see what Cameron brings to the team.
“He was in the group of players included in our alignment camps earlier in the year, so he’s familiar with some of our structures and the Springbok ethos, and we have no doubt he will grab this opportunity with both hands.”
The 22-year-old Hanekom’s inclusion means the Boks’ 35-man squad have a split of 20 forwards and 15 backs.
But Erasmus explains of why the Boks can cope without an extra back: “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.”
Meanwhile, the Boks might also still be sweating on the availability of yster tighthead prop Frans Malherbe, after he rolled an ankle playing in the Stormers’ loss in Stellenbosch.
Stormers coach John Dobson, however, says he expects Malherbe to probably be fit and available to play for South Africa when they tackle Scotland on November 10 in their first tour game at Murrayfield.
The Boks travelled to the island of Jersey for a training camp on Sunday.