Roux won’t gamble on Willemse

WHILE Damian Willemse’s absence due to injury is a big loss, Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux is confident.

Willemse will be out of action for four to six weeks after suffering a knee injury in their Under-20 Championship match against Ireland on Sunday, and the team also lost wing Muller du Plessis for two to four weeks to a gluteal muscle injury.

Province flyhalf David Coetzer and Sharks No 8 Phendulani Buthelezi will join the team in France today as replacements.

“It is never good when players suffer injuries,” said Roux.

“In Damian’s case particularly, if we really had to, we could probably have strapped him and played him in one of the play-off games. But if one looks at the bigger picture, it is better for him as a player and for South African rugby that he takes a break.

“He has had a very high workload this year at a high intensity, and although his injury is a big loss, it is better that he recovers properly so that he can return to action soon.

“David and Phendulani have been in SA Rugby’s Elite Player Development system for a while now, and know exactly what to expect from us and they will slot in with ease.”

The Junior Boks will face hosts France in their last pool game on Thursday after beating Ireland 30-17 at the weekend.

Just like in their opening match against Georgia, another second-half step-up was required to secure the victory.

And Roux acknowledged that they’ll have to make a few changes in terms of performance.

“I think we played in patches, but our scrums were good. We usually have a very good lineout, but for some reason it didn’t function. So there are small changes we need make and I am sure we will rectify that for the game against France.”

With the match against France kicking off at 9pm on Thursday in Narbonne, Roux said they would adapt the training schedule in the next few days to ensure that the players could adjust accordingly.