Damian Willemse eager to ignite boyish Bok backline in All Blacks rematch

The double World Cup winner has been a jack of all trades for the Springboks. Willemse has only ever started in the green and gold at flyhalf or fullback, but his roles off the bench have been varied, covering nearly all backline positions at some point.

However, the key lies in Willemse's partnership with Sacha Feinberg-Mnogomezulu at the Stormers. The duo have run out at 10 and 12 respectively for the Cape Town franchise, paving the way for Saturday's combination.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to link up with Sacha and the other backline players," the 27-year-old told the press on Thursday.

"I think this is the first match that I will be playing with Sacha at flyhalf, but we've been working hard this week to align on how we play, and also with the other players from an attack and defence point of view, so we are ready for whatever the All Blacks throw at us."

Joining Willemse is Canan Moodie, with Cheslin Kolbe, Ethan Hooker and Aphelele Fassi in the back three while Cobus Reinach pulls the strings at halfback.

While the Springboks will be desperate to bounce back from their disappointing 24-17 defeat last weekend at Eden Park to stay in the running for the Rugby Championship title, as well as retain the Freedom Cup between the two rugby giants, the All Blacks will be equally psyched up after last week's result and to make up for suffering four defeats in a row against the Boks before that match - a situation Willemse was wary of.

"We are expecting another physical game, which is what they always deliver," continued Willemse.

"There are close margins in Test rugby, and last week we had an opportunity to secure a draw, but we were unable to do so. So, we know this is going to be another epic encounter.

"Obviously, we can't change what happened last week, but we had a thorough review of the match, and we've put it behind us. Our focus is now squarely on Saturday's match-up, and hopefully we can play well and get the desired result. It's going to be a physical and hard match, but for us it's all about nailing our roles on the field."

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