HERO OF THE WEEK: Damian Willemse

It may be easy to forget that there were many heroes on a night in Paris where the Springboks went toe to toe with the World’s No 1 side Ireland.

And while the result may not have gone their way, there certainly were many who put their bodies on the line. Pieter-Steph du Toit came up with another chart topping 13 tackles, while Frans Malherbe’s 11 tackles certainly show the unseen work that he does around the park.

But for this week the honour goes to Damian Willemse.

The Stormers’ utility has now certainly stepped out of the shadow of Willie le Roux and is fast establishing himself as the No 1 fullback in the team.

Relieved of the goalkicking duties, Willemse has shown an increase in confidence, a settled nature and a willingness to unleash that step of his against defenders and has been more than successful in it.

On Saturday he showed a maturity at the back under pressure, a calmness that was needed and a willingness to take a chance when it was on.

In 12 carries he made 112 metres and beat no less than 11 defenders.

By all accounts he is the first choice fullback and slots in well with the rest of the backline.

And for showing that maturity in a game that was brutal, physical and an arm wrestle where a mistake could easily have been punished, Willemse is our hero of the week