- Damian Willemse's impressive cameos at inside centre has suddenly put him in a prime position to become a key member of the Springbok bench against the British & Irish Lions.
- His franchise coach, John Dobson, believes his future may very much lie in midfield as he possesses all the attributes.
- But the Stormers mentor cautions against giving him too many potential roles.
It was only a few months ago that the South African rugby fraternity was severely doubting Damian Willemse's credentials to feature in the series against the British & Irish Lions.
Rather ragged at flyhalf, the gifted 23-year-old playmaker was shifted back to fullback for the Stormers and steadily regained form.
But it's his recent substitute appearances at centre for the Springboks and South Africa 'A' that have whetted appetites.
Willemse has looked encouragingly composed and even imposing, showing a newfound versatility that could be key to him becoming a prominent piece of the Boks' Bomb Squad puzzle.
After all, with the team expected to favour a 6-2 split on the bench, the backline bolter needs to fill various positions.
Even John Dobson, his franchise coach, believes there's a legitimate future for Willemse at No 12.
"It's only natural that local rugby folk debate these types of issues. We're known for it," he said.
"I must say, Damian looked very sharp in the [SA 'A' game against the Lions] and against Georgia. It's not a new thing. He played a Currie Cup final for us at 12 back in 2018."
Productive discussions about where the World Cup winner might find his bread properly buttered might become even more important when a fellow Bok, Warrick Gelant, returns from a long-term knee injury.
"When Warrick comes back, there's an international 15 in the system again. To my mind, Damian is also an international-class 15. Somebody is going to have to be accommodated in future," said Dobson.
"New possibilities open up, whether it is Warrick at 15 and Damian at 12 or Damian at 15 or Warrick at 13. If Damian carries on in this vein, that's probably the way we'll go."
Is asking Willemse to play at outside centre going too far?
"I haven't actually thought about that," said Dobson.
"Damian can play anywhere, he's got the attributes to play at 13. But I'd be wary of him being able to play 10,12,13 and 15. That might be asking too much."