Damian Willemse (born 7 May 1998) is a South African professional rugby union player who represents the South Africa internationally and plays domestically for the in the United Rugby Championship and in the Currie Cup. Primarily a fullback, he is noted for his versatility and has also regularly featured at fly-half and inside centre. Willemse was a member of South Africa's 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2023 Rugby World Cup winning squads, becoming the youngest player to win the tournament twice.
Early life
Willemse was born in Strand to Francois (“Fanie”) Willemse and Charlotte Willemse (née Samuels). He grew up alongside his brother Ramone Samuels, who took their mother’s surname.
Willemse attended Somerset West Methodist Primary School, where his rugby union talent was identified and nurtured by his influential teacher and coach, Winston Baard. He later enrolled at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, one of South Africa’s leading rugby union schools, where he continued his development.
Schoolboy rugby
In 2014, Willemse was selected to represent at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in Pretoria. He started all three matches, helping his side achieve an unbeaten tournament, including scoring a try in Western Province's 26–11 victory over hosts the in the final match.
Willemse progressed to the Western Province Under-18 squad for the 2015 Craven Week, South Africa's premier schoolboy rugby union tournament. He again started all three matches, scoring tries in a 65–5 win over the and in the unofficial final, a dominant 95–0 victory over Eastern Province. His performances earned him selection for the South Africa Schools side for the 2015 Under-18 International Series. He featured in victories over Wales and France, and was an unused replacement against England as South Africa completed a series clean sweep.
In 2016, Willemse was again selected for Western Province for the Craven Week tournament in Durban, starting all three matches and scoring two tries in their opening game against Boland. He helped Western Province to a 27–20 victory over the Golden Lions in the final match of the week. Willemse earned a second call-up to the South Africa Schools team, starting all three matches at fly-half. South Africa again finished the series unbeaten, including wins over Wales, France Under-19—where Willemse scored a try—and England.
Club Career Willemse signed with the DHL Stormers while completing his matric year at Paul Roos Gymnasium, with Business Day describing him as “the undisputed schoolboy star of 2016” ahead of his rapid elevation to Super Rugby. He joined the senior squad for pre-season training immediately after writing his matric exams.
While still at school, Willemse also appeared for the team in the 2016 Under-19 Provincial Championship. He featured as a replacement in three of their final four regular-season matches, scoring a try on debut at this level against the s, and kicking conversions in matches against the s and the s. His contributions helped Western Province finish top of the log heading into the play-offs.
He was promoted to the starting line-up for their 30–15 semi-final victory over , and also started the final, where Western Province lost 19–60 to the s.
2017-19: Stormers and Western Province
Only months after finishing school, Willemse was included in the squad for the 2017 Super Rugby season.
He was included in a matchday squad for their Round Three match against the on 4 March, and he made his Super Rugby debut – aged just – by coming on in the 78th minute of the match. By July of that year, Willemse was already being described as a "top talent" with his acceleration, evasive ability and confidence in taking on the defensive line being praised.
Willemse made his Currie Cup debut for Western Province during the 2017 Currie Cup Premier Division, quickly establishing himself as a key member of the squad. On 1 October 2017, he kicked a decisive late penalty to secure a 46–45 victory over the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. Later that month, he started at fullback in the Currie Cup Final, contributing an off-load in the lead-up to a try as Western Province defeated the Sharks 33–21 to claim the title.
During the 2018 Super Rugby season, Willemse produced several notable performances. In Round One he contributed to a 28–20 Stormers win, successfully adding points from the tee and playing a central role in the backline. He later recorded four conversions and two penalties in a 37–20 victory over the Blues on 17 March 2018.
In the 2018 Currie Cup, Willemse continued to feature prominently for Western Province – starting matches at both fullback and inside centre. He was selected at fullback for a key fixture in September as part of his positional development and preparation for higher honours. Ahead of the 2018 Currie Cup Final, he was shifted to inside centre as Western Province sought to maximise his attacking influence. Western Province went on to lose the final 12–17 to the Sharks at Newlands.
In the 2019 Super Rugby season, Willemse continued to feature regularly for the franchise, operating at both fly-half and fullback. He played prominently in the Stormers’ fixture against the Blues in Auckland on 30 March 2019, contributing on attack and defence in a close contest. Willemse's 2019 Super Rugby season was cut short after he suffered a knee injury in a match against the Lions in June, forcing him out of action for approximately two months. The injury ruled him out of the closing stages of the Stormers’ campaign and delayed his return to domestic rugby until the latter rounds of the 2019 Currie Cup.
After recovering, Willemse returned to Currie Cup action with Western Province preparing to use him as a central figure in their backline for the remainder of the competition. His return was seen as an important late-season boost, and he was selected in Western Province's final two games of the season against Griquas and the Cheetahs.
2019: Saracens
In September 2019, Willemse signed for Premiership club Saracens on a three-month deal to provide injury cover for Alex Goode and Max Malins. He made his debut for the club in the Premiership Cup against Wasps, providing a try assist in the second half.
During his loan spell, he made two Premiership Cup appearances, playing against Wasps and the Sale Sharks, before being called into South Africa's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. After the tournament he featured once more for Saracens, appearing in the European Rugby Champions Cup against Racing 92, before his loan ended and he returned to the Stormers.
2019-2021: Return to the Stormers and Western Province
Willemse began the 2020 Super Rugby season strongly, starting at fly-half for the Stormers. In the opening round on 2 February 2020, he scored an intercept try in a 27–0 victory over the Hurricanes at Newlands, contributing to a dominant defensive and attacking performance by the side. Willemse continued as the Stormers’ first-choice fly-half through the early rounds of the competition. His campaign was cut short in Round 7, when he sustained an injury while at fullback during the Stormers’ loss to the Sharks on 14 March 2020—the final match played before the season was suspended and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When domestic rugby resumed later in the year under the Super Rugby Unlocked competition, Willemse returned to the Stormers’ starting lineup and shifted primarily between fly-half and fullback. He delivered a composed display in the Stormers’ 23–17 win over the Lions at Newlands, earning praise for his improved game management in directing the backline. One of his strongest performances came in a 30–13 victory over the Free State Cheetahs, where he contributed 15 points through two penalties, three conversions and a drop-goal, along with an off-load in the build-up to a try.
During the 2020-21 Currie Cup, Willemse featured regularly for Western Province, splitting his time between fly-half and fullback. Early-season analysis noted his assured performances in the backfield, highlighting his improved positional play, counter-attacking carries and reliability under the high ball as Province built momentum through the opening rounds of the competition. His form strengthened further after he committed his long-term future to the union, producing one of his most composed outings of the campaign in a match against the Bulls, where he contributed several well-judged kicks from hand and carried strongly on attack as Province pushed for territory and continuity.
During the 2021 Rainbow Cup SA, as South African teams began their transition toward joining the northern hemisphere's Pro14 structure, Willemse featured regularly for the Stormers at fullback. He played in the side's 25–22 victory over the Sharks in Durban on 22 May 2021, where he helped create one of the Stormers’ tries during a strong counter-attacking performance. The Stormers struggled in the tournament, winning only 2 games.
2021-2023: URC success During the inaugural 2021–22 United Rugby Championship season, Willemse featured prominently in the Stormers’ title-winning campaign.
In April 2022, he played a decisive role in a key late-season derby victory over the Bulls in Cape Town. Willemse landed a 70th-minute drop goal that stretched the Stormers’ lead during a tight contest, with the official match report describing it as “a vital drop goal ... to push their lead to nine points” in a 19–17 win.
Willemse returned from injury for the semi-final on 11 June 2022 against Ulster, where he delivered one of his standout displays of the season. Despite carrying a heavily strapped arm, he produced an “outstanding” all-round performance with “serious metres” made on attack, earning the Man of the Match award. Head coach John Dobson highlighted Willemse's influence and commitment, noting that “if anybody oozes blue and white in their veins, bleeds blue and white, it's Damian Willemse,” after Willemse returned to play despite initial assessments following his quarter-final injury against Edinburgh suggesting he would miss the remainder of the season.
A week later, in June 2022, Willemse helped the Stormers defeat the Bulls 18–13 in the URC final in Cape Town, securing the franchise's first title of the competition. Post-match analysis praised Willemse’s maturity and impact in the decider, noting that the 24-year-old had “come of age” and was a “key figure” in the Stormers’ championship performance.
In October 2022, Willemse signed a new five-year contract with the Stormers, extending his stay at the franchise until at least 2027. As part of the broader agreement, he also entered into a commercial partnership with Ardagh Africa (formerly Consol Glass), undertaking public brand ambassador duties in support of the company’s social sustainability programmes. Media estimates placed the combined value of the Stormers contract and associated commercial arrangements at approximately R10 million per year.
During the 2022-23 URC campaign, Willemse again featured consistently for the Stormers as the team built on their inaugural United Rugby Championship success. He played in 11 games and alternated between inside centre and fullback throughout the season. He was described by the coaching staff as an important squad figure, with reports in early 2023 noting that he was “raring to go” ahead of the season's decisive stages following a short injury lay-off.
Willemse delivered several notable performances in the Champions Cup. On 1 April 2023, he scored an acrobatic try from fullback in the Stormers’ round-of-16 victory over Harlequins, with commentators describing the finish as “mind-blowing” as the Stormers progressed to the quarter-finals. He scored again a week later in the quarter-final against Exeter Chiefs, although the Stormers were defeated and eliminated from the competition.