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Springbok utility back Damian Willemse has commended teammate Elton Jantjies for helping him prepare for his switch to fly-half this week.
Outside of goalkicking, Willemse brought a dynamic and attacking edge to the backline in a man-of-the-match performance that saw South Africa claim their first victory against the Wallabies in Australia since 2013, as they ran out 24-8 winners in Sydney.
Important support from Jantjies
The 24-year-old labelled Jantjies as “selfless” and underlined that the veteran made it easy to change positions, giving him full credit for his performance on the night.
“It wasn’t really that tough. Slotting in tonight was just a bit of a different role,” said Willemse.
“I have been getting reps there and I enjoyed tonight. Credit to the coaching staff and everybody who helped me throughout the week; Elton as well, he was massive and had a big contribution to my performance.”
Willemse added: “Elton is an absolute team guy. The way he has helped me since I came into the squad as a young guy in 2018 has been amazing. He has helped me a lot with my kicking. I have to give credit to him for the performance I had tonight. The way he helped me prepare, keeping me calm, that was very selfless.”
The starting fly-half believes a key component of the win was the balance the Springboks found in their play, particularly with their kick-chase game.
“The balance was pretty good. The way we suffocated the Wallabies, we had a lot of territory in their half and converted that into scoreboard pressure,” said Willemse. “We ran the ball when we had the overlap, but I thought the balance was good.
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“The tactical kicking from Willie with his left boot, Jaden was outstanding with his kicks from No 9 and we had two guys, Canan and Mapimpi, chasing those kicks. They got into a lot of contestables, which gave us the opportunity. So, our balance between running and kicking was pretty good.”
Dream debut
19-year-old Canan Moodie had a debut to remember for the Springboks, scoring a magnificent try, rising above Wallaby wing Marika Koroibete for a high ball before striding to an open try-line.
Moodie was delighted just to have made his debut, and scoring a try was the “cherry on top”. The Bulls star said it was “special” to be surrounded by the bench to celebrate his try.
“It was very special. Just putting on the jersey is already special enough. Having the opportunity to score a try was even more special,” Moodie said. “I am just happy that I was able to contribute to the team.
“I was just happy that I was able to contribute to the team and add a few points. That was obviously a very emotional moment for me, getting swarmed by the bench. It was very, very special. I quite enjoyed that. Scoring the try was the cherry on top for me.”
The 2022 Rugby Championship has been burst even more wide open with wins from the Springboks and All Blacks in Round Four, meaning there is only one point between the top and bottom place with only two rounds to go.