Stormers yster Damian Willemse is ready to lock horns with fellow Springbok and Bulls speedster Kurt-Lee Arendse.
Willemse and Arendse are primed to star for the Bokke at the World Cup in France in September, but Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinal clash between them is bound to shoot the lights out at Cape Town Stadium.
Playing at fullback, flyhalf or centre, Willemse is pivotal to the dynamic and vuurige brand of rugby played by the defending URC champions.
RSA North v South derby 🔥@BlueBullsRugby are out for revenge 👀@TheStormers are going for back-to-back championships 🏆 #BKTURC #URC | #UnitedWeRise
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) May 1, 2023
Arendse, meanwhile, has backed up his breakthrough 2021/22 season for the Bulle in with another kwaai campaign as last year’s losing finalists look to secure a place in the URC semifinals and end a five-game slump to their Kaap rivals in the competition.
The Cape-born pocket rocket is a triple threat with his attacking, defensive and try-scoring skills, and Willemse expects he’ll have to uit haal en wys against him.
Gaza says: “Kurt-Lee has been playing brilliant rugby, and I know our one-on-one battles are something that will be spoken about.
“But if I can put the forwards in a good space to attack and get mauls, that’s what I am trying to focus on.
“It’s going to be a high-pressure environment, in front of 40,000 people.
“So we as the game-drivers need to make smart decisions… and we’ve got to adapt as quickly as we can.”
devin.hermanus@inl.co.za