Springbok star Damian Willemse out of UK tour with Hanekom called up

Springbok star Damian Willemse will miss South Africa’s upcoming tour of the UK with a groin injury he sustained playing for the Stormers against Glasgow in yesterday’s URC round six action.

Willemse who missed this year’s Rugby Championship with an injury and will therefore miss all of the Boks Test matches this season.

Replacing the versatile Willemse is burgeoning Vodacom Bulls star Cameron Hanekom who has long been tipped to become a star on the international stage.

Speaking about Willemse’s injury, Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus said, “Damian has been in great form the DHL 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 Erasmus.

“But as was the case with Wilco and Johan’s call-up, 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.

“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.”