'Steppers' Storm saam
MORE THAN STEPPER: Damian Willemse
This weekend will be a massive one for Damian Willemse and Warrick Gelant.
They go to Ireland with a point to prove, when the Stormers looking to build on their unbeaten start to 2022 against Connacht in the United Rugby Championship.
As if moving from the Cape summer to the winter of the British Isles wasn’t enough, these manne still have to convince people of their talents.
After being rotated in the No.15 streeptrui for most of the season, the two have shown that they can cause a hele klomp damage when they are on the pitch together.
And it happened almost by some happy accident.
With the Stormers needing more threat in their backline and control of their game with the boot, coach John Dobson threw Willemse in at inside centre and struck gold.
The trio of flyhalf Manie Libbok, Willemse next to him and Gelant have given the Stormers just the sort of menace most fans have been praying for.
But the coach’s reaction when explaining the press after the win over the Bulls made my skin crawl.
Dobson said: “These aren’t just steppers from the Cape. They are rugby motherlovers - I don’t want to be rude. But they are obsessed. They talk about the game all the time.”
There is a lot to unpack, but “just steppers from the Cape” and “they talk about the game all the time” shows just the sort of bias that still works against players of colour in South African rugby.
And while I’m not saying Dobson is at fault here, the idea that coloured and black players just want to step and don’t think about the game is really verkrampt. Remember when Cheslin Kolbe was too small to the Bokke?
Good on Dobbo for pointing that out and finding a way to get these manne to jigga.
If they can continue their form this weekend, I hope the Springboks bosses will be watching too.
With Gelant and Willemse showing that they are mean defenders too, the former should be turning up the heat on Willie le Roux for the Bok fullback jersey and Willemse can become a real option off the bench, with 10, 12 and 15 covered.