Damian Willemse gives Bok brains trust points to ponder in Sydney

There may be debate over whether he should have been man of the match over Siya Kolisi but what Damian Willemse's performance against Australia in Sydney did was give the Springbok brains trust a few things to ponder.

With Willemse in the starting team at flyhalf in the place of an injured Handré Pollard who has a knee injury and second-in-line Elton Jantjies who has a troublesome hand, the Springboks played with much more variety and even hints of audaciousness than one has become accustomed to.

Pollard, who has blown hot and cold this year, as the senior squad member and vice captain remains an integral part of the Bok set-up. He gives the team much of the shape in their no-frills battle plan and is very much their go-to man for the No.10 jersey.

At his best his presence is a deeply reassuring one at first receiver and indeed when the opposing heavy traffic heads down the inside channels.

Pollard is considered one of their trusted warriors and has performed under the sport's harshest light.

He is the Springboks' foremost game driver and without him the way they usually go about their business simply won't be as effective.

Jantjies has been his deputy for some time. Out of the 20 Tests Jantjies played under Allister Coetzee he started 17, but under the Rassie Erasmus/Jacques Nienaber regime his role has evolved to one that provides backup to Pollard. To be fair, the team places much stock in their bench.

Jantjies has made some telling contributions off the bench but his most recent activity in the Springbok jersey hasn't exactly captured the imagination.

The Bok brains trust has persisted with him. They perhaps feel obliged given the investment made in him and with the Rugby World Cup a year away they are unlikely to go in search of talent unfamiliar with the team's ways and practices.

Enter Willemse, who has been part of the Bok furniture almost from the start of the Erasmus/Nienaber era.

As he showed in Sydney, Willemse provides them a point of difference. Yet, in many ways he is a cranked-up version of Pollard and Jantjies at their best. He has the former's physicality and the latter's intuitive and defter touches.

Willemse takes the ball as flat as Jantjies and runs and kicks as hard as Pollard. His goal kicking however remains a major work which potentially affects selection elsewhere.

If Pollard makes the team tick when he is on song, Willemse sets pulses racing. The Springboks were far from fluid in their attack against the Wallabies but there were glimpses of a team far more at ease at putting the next player in possession into space. Much of that stemmed from the creative energy Willemse brought to first receiver.

Moreover, Willemse, operating in concert with the visionary craft of Willie le Roux, showed what is possible when the Springboks deviate from their well-worn attacking strategy.

Some may argue the performance he delivered came at the expense of Jantjies but Willemse pointed to the left footer's guiding hand. “Elton has been huge. He’s an absolute team guy,” said Willemse.

“The way he's helped me as a mentor when I came in as youngster in 2018 has been amazing. He's helped me a lot with my kicking and my general play.

“I have to give him credit for my performance. He kept me calm and assisted me with my preparation during the week. He's just such a selfless guy all round. Hats off to him.”

At 32 the popular view may be that Jantjies' number is up and that his presence has caused a blockage in the Bok flyhalf pipeline.

Of course Erasmus and Co may very well see Willemse's immediate future in the No.15 jersey.

What they indubitably have, are options.

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.