Stefan Willemse (born 12 April 1992) is a South African professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player for the in the

Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...

and in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is flanker or lock.

Career

Youth and Varsity rugby

Willemse played for the side during the

2011 Under-19 Provincial Championship The 2011 ABSA Under-19 Provincial Championship was contested from 15 July to 29 October 2011. The tournament featured the Under-19 players from the fourteen provincial rugby unions in South Africa. Competition Division A There were seven partici ...

competition, which saw the side progress to the final, where they lost to the . He moved to

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

in 2012 to join the . He made just three substitute appearances for the side in the

2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship The 2012 ABSA Under-21 Provincial Championship will be contested from 13 July to 27 October 2012. The tournament will feature the Under-21 players from the fourteen provincial rugby unions in South Africa. Competition Division A There are seven p ...

competition, with an ankle injury curtailing his progress. Willemse then made the move to

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

, where he joined

Varsity Cup Varsity Cup is the collective name for four South African rugby union competitions involving the top rugby playing universities in the country. It was launched in 2008, with eight teams participating in the Varsity Cup competition and each univers ...

side . He was a key player for the team during the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, helping them reach the semi-finals of the competition on both occasions. He also made a single appearance for the side in their promotion/relegation play-off match against the side, but could not help the team win promotion to Division A.

Eastern Province Kings

At the conclusion of the

2013 Varsity Cup The 2013 Varsity Cup was contested from 4 February to 8 April 2013. The tournament (also known as the ''FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International'' for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-univer ...

, Willemse was included in the squad for the

2013 Vodacom Cup The 2013 Vodacom Cup was played between 9 March and 18 May 2013 and was the 16th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First ...

, and made his first class debut against . He scored his first try in his next match, a 27–23 victory over the After a third substitute appearance in the next match against the – with Willemse once again scoring in a 27–23 victory – he started his first senior match in the EP Kings' quarter final match against the , scoring a try in his third consecutive match to help the EP Kings to a dramatic 34–31 victory. He made his second start in their 39–13 semi-final loss to the in

Nelspruit Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River (Mpumalanga), Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, ea ...

. He was retained for the senior side when the

2013 Currie Cup First Division The 2013 Currie Cup First Division was contested from 29 June to 11 October 2013. The tournament (also known as the Absa Currie Cup First Division for sponsorship reasons) is the second tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competiti ...

season kicked off, making his first

appearance in the opening fixture, when he started the match against the . He made a total of seven starts and four substitute appearances during the campaign, scoring five tries during the campaign (two in each of their matches against the and the and one more against the ), helping the EP Kings to second place in the competition and subsequently winning promotion to the

2014 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 76th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 9 August to 25 October 2014. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) is the ...

. He made two appearances for the Kings during the

2014 Vodacom Cup The 2014 Vodacom Cup was played between 7 March and 16 May 2014 and was the 17th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. This edition of the Vodacom Cup was played between fourteen provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Cu ...

, as the Kings finished fifth in the Southern Section to miss out on a play-off spot. In June 2014, he was selected on the bench for the side to face during their 2014 tour of South Africa. He came on just before the hour mark as the Kings suffered a 12–34 defeat. He made his debut in the Premier Division of the Currie Cup during the 2014 season; he started their opening match of the season against in Port Elizabeth and played in the first eight rounds of the competition before an

AC joint The acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint, is a joint at the top of the shoulder. It is the junction between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle. It is a plane synovial joint. Structure ...

injury ruled him out of the last two rounds.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willemse, Stefan Eastern Province Elephants players Living people 1992 births Southern Kings players South African rugby union players Rugby union flankers Pumas (Currie Cup) players Rugby Football Club Los Angeles players Griquas (rugby union) players Rugby union players from the Western Cape