Springboks almost akin to All Blacks’ flair, says Ashwin Willemse
Former Springbok wing Ashwin Willemse regaled an audience recently about a tale on the 2004 end-of-year tour that underlined the importance of injury management.
In the infamous ‘Paul Honiss’ Test against Ireland in Dublin, Willemse went down in the 15th minute and told then-team doctor Yusuf Hassan that his “laces were loose”.
The laces and ankle were strapped up, and Willemse completed the match. But afterwards, Hassan investigated further with a medical device, and found that Willemse had actually sustained a fracture in his foot.
He subsequently missed the rest of the tour, and battled with injuries for a few years before fighting back to be part of the 2007 World Cup-winning group.
Willemse, speaking to the media at the ASSIC (African Sports Science Institute Clinic) and Sports Trust Sports Expo at Mount View High School in Hanover Park, said he was grateful for Hassan’s guidance in managing his injuries over the years.
Hassan has developed a number of free apps to assist sportspeople and the general public in managing their fitness, injury and rehabilitation programmes, tools Willemse wished he had access to in the past.
But the former Bok speedster felt that it was important for players to also be honest with their doctor. “I’m so proud of the work Doc Hassan has been doing. This is a lifetime of work coming together for him. To see not just his passion for the game and sport in general, but how he has evolved in his own profession...” Willemse said.
“Throughout my professional career, I’ve been privileged to have the best medical teams all around the world, and Doc Hassan, in my mind, is by far (the best).
“Just his ability as a doctor to communicate and make you feel at ease, he has, by far, gone and done what hasn’t been done before.
“This is innovative in so many ways. For him to take, I almost want to say, have a whole hospital in your pocket, so to speak. Doc, in many ways, is a champion for having done that.
“I owe my life to Doc in so many ways. I speak for every player and coach that has worked with Doc and been part of the team, when it comes to a relationship between the medical team and player, that’s one of real trust.
“We put our lives in his hands many times, and I am one of those. He’s been part and parcel of my professional journey.”
Former Bok coach Allister Coetzee was also a speaker at the event, and told the media that the trust between players, coaches and the medical team was crucial.
“It’s vital, an important role. The old saying about being penny-wise and pound-foolish... Coaches always want the best teams and best players on the field, but you need to listen to the medical team,” Coetzee said.
“They have a big role to play in the lifespan of a rugby player, and that marriage has got to be built around trust, and it’s not about immediate results.
“It’s about the long-term, and also looking at the player and his career going forward – not the coach’s interests only.
“But it’s a good relationship to build with your medical team, as it’s high-performance and you’ve got to make the right decision.
“The players must also know that ‘I’m being used by the coach’, or ‘This guy is looking after me, and wants me to play for a very long time’.”
Talking about injury prevention and management, both Willemse and Coetzee were asked about Bok star Eben Etzebeth’s remarkable longevity after he broke Victor Matfield’s caps record by playing in his 128th Test against Argentina in Mbombela last weekend.
Coetzee was the first Bok coach to make Etzebeth the SA captain in 2017.
“Super guy. I made Eben captain, before Siya (Kolisi)... with reasons. It’s a brilliant example of a true professional athlete who achieved the milestone. I wish him well, and he deserves it – he’s been outstanding,” he said.
Willemse also praised the Bok No 4 lock, and how the South African team have continued to grown after their second successive World Cup triumph last year.
“Eben Etzebeth has carved out his name in history in a way that only a champion like him can do,” he said.
“The likes of Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe man, yoh. Who ever thought Cheslin will be this big?
“So, it just has been wonderful to see the likes of Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu) coming through. Our rugby is in such a good state that all I really want to do is really just learn.
The likes of Rassie and Jacques (Nienaber) and what they’ve done, I want to stand on the sideline and just really learn and understand how actually to go about it.
“I am in a phase of my life where my interest in the game is to appreciate what we have, and learn as much as I can from those who have gone out and shown how South Africa can be a phenomenal world leader in rugby.”
Willemse added that he was enjoying the type of attacking rugby that Rassie Erasmus’ team have been producing on their way to the Rugby Championship title.
“I’ve been loving the way that the Boks have been playing – not just now, but at least the past five years,” he said.
“You could see that for the past five years, the flair of the Boks... It’s almost akin to what we’ve known the All Blacks to have been in the past.
“Tony Brown being part of the set-up just adds so much more impetus to real attractive rugby.
“If you really think about it, our wings are such a lethal weapon – our outside (backs) players are all lethal, and to be able to bring them into the game, where they can convert and are allowed to play, it puts all of us on the edges of our seats.
“Any team that can play like that will just get the world back behind them, and I think that’s where we are now.
“The players that you have to take your hat off to are the Manie Libboks, Cheslin Kolbes of this world, who have gone out and showed us that we have an all-encompassing game, and if we play the game to the best of our abilities, we can mesmerise any fan around the world.”