- A weight has been lifted off Damian Willemse shoulders now that his future in the Cape has been secured, Stormers coach John Dobson believes.
- Dobson says Willemse is settled at No 15 and has been "absolutely brilliant" in training.
- The Stormers mentor is also chuffed with the performances of young gun Kade Wolhuter at flyhalf.
Stormers coach John Dobson says there's a weight off Damian Willemse's shoulders now that there is certainty over the Springbok utility back's future.
Willemse earlier this month put pen to paper on a new three-year deal with the Cape franchise, ending speculation that he may join their arch-rivals the Bulls.
The Bulls had shown significant interest in Willemse's services and Dobson feels the uncertainty over his future may have impacted the player's performances.
The 22-year-old started last year's Super Rugby Unlocked campaign at flyhalf but was struggling for form and eventually moved to fullback.
He played No 15 in last Friday's preparation series loss to the Bulls in Pretoria where he showed glimpses of the potential that saw him make his Test debut at the age of 20 in 2018.
During an online media briefing on Tuesday, Dobson said Willemse's improved effort at Loftus "had a to do with" the player now "knowing where he was playing his rugby in the future".
"There's been a lot of conjecture for a long time and uncertainty about where he was going to play his rugby for the next few years. But I think him knowing he was here... you could almost see the weight come off his shoulders. I know he battled with that for a long time," Dobson said.
For the moment it appears as though Willemse will play fullback, but his versatility comes in handy for the Stormers.
"He's been settled for a while [now] at 15... we played him at 10 but he's the ultimate [team] guy and will play wherever he's needed for the team, [at] 10, 12 or 15...
"When we had two Springbok fullbacks in Dillyn Leyds and Warrick Gelant he was keen to have a go at 10... but now he's got a run at 15.
"So, I think he's settling at 15 and knowing where he's playing for the next few years is a good cocktail for him. You can see the difference. He was absolutely brilliant in training today, so I'm really excited," Dobson added.
With Willemse playing at the back, young Kade Wolhuter has been tried at flyhalf during the preparation series and Dobson has been impressed by the youngster.
The coach reckons Wolhuter will be ready to feature in the upcoming Rainbow Cup.
"I'm very happy with his performance. His progression has probably been like the team - from our first game against the Cheetahs where I felt he was a bit deep and stuck away a bit, which was natural as he hadn't [yet] played a game at that level really - to where he is now, is great progress.
"I'm very pleased with Kade's performance and really happy with the flyhalves we've got in Tim (Swiel), Abner van Reenen and young Chris Schreuder.
"What's staggering about him (Wolhuter) at his age at 19 is his maturity. Sometimes you've got to manage his maturity because he's quite confident but we're really pleased with his progress," Dobson said.
Meanwhile, Dobson's charges are preparing for their final preparation series encounter against the Lions at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
In recent games, Dobson has taken a back seat and handed the coaching reins over to his assistants Rito Hlungwani and Labeeb Levy.
Forwards guru Hlungwani was in charge in the 38-32 win over Griquas in Kimberley, while skills coach Levy oversaw matters in the 34-29 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria.
Dobson confirmed that backline guru Dawie Snyman will take charge against the Lions this week.
"Rito did a good job, Labeeb did a good job, Dawie will do a good job. The coaching thing is a collective, we started this preparation series working out who would coach which games. I'm very pleased for Rito and Labeeb to have had this experience. Dawie will obviously have the experience this week.
"It's nice, I think sometimes there's too much credit and too much criticism given to a head coach. It's a collective, the whole coaching thing," Dobson said.
Saturday's clash is scheduled for 17:15.