Goodbye Springboks? Double World Cup winner Damian Willemse to chase Olympic dream
Are the Springboks about to lose one of its brightest stars to the Blitzboks and sevens rugby in the build-up to the Olympic Games?
The Springbok superstar has revealed there’s a possibility he could exit Test rugby in 2023 in order to represent his country in rugby sevens at the Olympics next year.
GAZZA OPEN TO TRADING SPRINGBOKS FOR BLITZBOKS
On 28 October, Willemse became the youngest player ever to win the World Cup twice after featuring heavily for
The Springboks’ last victory in Paris over the All Blacks.
Right now, Willemse is among the world’s most skilled and adaptable Test rugby players, and his presence is crucial to the success of the Springboks’ audacious playing philosophy and selection process.
During the HSBC SVNS Cape Town stop this past weekend, Hanyani Shimange, Bryan Habana, and Jean de Villiers discussed on the Boks Squad podcast at DHL Stadium that the Stormers star would think about applying his skills to the Blitzboks sevens circuit in an effort to earn Olympic selection, which would be a major setback for the Springboks.
It’s always in the cards, really. Of course, I would like to compete in the Olympics. Willemse told Boks Squad, “I think you also need training. Bryan mentioned that you need to spend some time on the field, working with the players.
He told the group of former Springboks, “This is a different sport, as I told Jean as well, because what these guys are doing, it’s crazy, it’s epic.” “And, yeah, I believe that competing in the World Cup or the Olympics is something that every rugby player and child dreams of, and winning a medal would be the icing on the cake.”
WATCH: DAMIAN WILLEMSE ON POSSIBLE SEVENS SWITCH
