Jean de Villiers, Robbie Fleck and Kevin Foote have welcomed the return of Damian Willemse for the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry decider in Baltimore on Saturday.
Willemse missed the third Test against the All Blacks at FNB Stadium after suffering a hamstring injury in Cape Town, but is back at fullback in place of the injured Cheslin Kolbe.
In the only other change to the starting XV that won 29-24 last week to take a 2-1 series lead, Morné van den Berg starts at scrumhalf, with Cobus Reinach dropping to the bench.
While flyhalf Manie Libbok impressed as a replacement last week, he remains on the bench with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu wearing the No 10 jersey again.
Speaking on the Boks Unpacked X The Verdict podcast, De Villiers referred to Willemse as a “phenomenal rugby player”.
“The way he covers the backfield, just his skill set – he’s maturing in that position as well,” said the former Springbok centre.
“We’ve spoken so many times about his ability to beat players in close-contact situations, probably the best in the world in terms of that.”
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Former Bok centre and ex-Stormers coach Fleck agreed.
“He brings confidence under the high ball, he’s just so secure. An extra set of hands on attack – he adds an extra dimension to our attack. With the amount of ball that we’re starting to get and the set-piece dominance …”
Foote added: “And Manie, if they’re fatiguing at the back end and Manie comes on and starts to shift that ball and we get those guys into space out wide, it’s going to be awesome.”
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Libbok’s introduction at FNB Stadium saw Feinberg-Mngomezulu shift to fullback.
“I felt Sacha was very good at the back,” Fleck said. “He was very, very good. Look, he’s just coming back into the saddle as a 10, and that’s a confidence position. He’s been a bit injured and he’s coming back into it.
“Sacha’s delivered, but Manie just brings that rhythm. That’s probably what’s been missing. He’s making good decisions on attack, he kicks well and he brought that width to the game that’s needed.”
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Foote also backed Van den Berg to make an impact after an impressive cameo off the bench last week earned the Lions scrumhalf a start.
“I thought Krappies was unbelievable. The way he tackled, the way he game-managed,” the Junior Boks coach said. “And I think Grant [Williams] and Cobus [Reinach] are amazing.
“Having that depth and bringing fresh legs in compared to guys who’ve been on tour for five weeks is going to be very important.”
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