Damian Willemse says the Springboks can take plenty of positives and confidence from the team’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series win into the remainder of 2026.
Rassie Erasmus’ troops beat the All Blacks 43-28 in Baltimore on Saturday to clinch the series 3-1 and confirmed the world No 1 status of the back-to-back world champions.
Willemse hailed South Africa’s victory – the highest winning margin of the series – after the men in green and gold took a 17-14 lead into the break at the M&T Bank Stadium.
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“We expected a tough game against New Zealand; being 2-1 down, they wanted to fire us up and draw this series,” the 28-year-old said.
“How we reacted after half-time when they scored that try, we stuck to our guns, made plans. I’m proud of everyone in the team.
“We’re super stoked and happy with the series win. This really means a lot to all of us.”
Willemse, who slotted in at fullback for the injured Cheslin Kolbe after missing the third Test with a hamstring problem, emphasised how the South Africans regrouped following their series-opening defeat at Ellis Park.
“After the first Test, taking that loss, there were parts of our game that we had to work on,” he added.
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“We got momentum and opportunities which we didn’t finish and as the series went along, we got better.
“The attack wasn’t really there; the breakdown was a bit of a shambles … certain areas of our game that we had to work hard on.
“Credit to the coaching staff and how they came up with plans and solutions and got us going again and gave us belief.
“For a lot of the guys, this is the first big series for them. We’ll take a lot of positives and confidence from this and we’ll just keep on growing and building our game.”
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Willemse now adds a Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry winner’s medal to his World Cup, Rugby Championship and British & Irish Lions series collection.
“Whenever you run out to represent the Springboks and you’ve got the Springbok in your heart, you want to go out there and make everyone proud.
“This doesn’t only belong to us, it belongs to South Africa as well.”
The Boks now have a week’s break before a one-off Test against the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday, 27 September.
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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Damian Willemse says the Springboks can take plenty of positives and confidence from the team’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series win into the remainder of 2026.
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