Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Unspecified injury brings an end to Paul Willemse's World Cup hopes

By Online Editors
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Paul Willemse’s hopes of forcing his way into the France World Cup squad have been dashed. 

ADVERTISEMENT

The South African, who secured French citizenship last November and was swiftly propelled into the Six Nations, had been training with Jacques Brunel’s squad as one of their six reservists along with 31 players officially chosen to travel to Japan. 

The second row would have been hoping that an injury to a lock would open a route for him to be promoted in time for the finals which start in September. 

Instead, he has been struck down by injury himself, leaving Brunel to source a replacement reservist – Toulon’s Romain Taofifenua – to help the chosen squad prepare. 

A brief French federation statement on Wednesday didn’t specify the injury that forced Willemse out, their media release instead only confirming that the forward would return to his club Montpellier and rehabilitate with them.  

“Following medical examinations, Paul Willemse is forfeited and leaves the preparation for the Rugby World Cup 2019 to heal with his club,” read the statement. 

The former South African under-20 player, who held his side to World Cup glory in 2012, left the Bulls to play for Grenoble in the Top 14 in summer 2014. 

ADVERTISEMENT

He then made the switch to Montpellier the following summer and while he went on to qualify for France under the three-year residency rule, his Test level ambitions were hampered by French rugby president Bernard Laporte insisting that every player qualifying under residency must also have French citizenship. 

This only came through for Willemse last November. He was then called up by Brunel and made his debut in the Six Nations defeat to Wales. 

“Once I knew it was possible to play for France it became my 100 percent goal,” he explained at the time. 

Willemse featured in all five matches in the tournament, starting twice, but he failed to make it into Brunel’s 31 for Japan, leaving him training with the France squad as one of a half-dozen reservists on their standby list. 

ADVERTISEMENT

WATCH: Part one of the two-part RugbyPass documentary on the many adventures that fans experience in Japan at this year’s World Cup.

Video Spacer

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING 'It's an All Black discussion': The pair of young Hurricanes tipped for black jerseys The pair of young Hurricanes tipped for black jerseys
Search