Four things the United Rugby Championship taught SA teams this weekend

This weekend saw all South African team in action in the United Rugby Championship. IOL Sport’s Morgan Bolton looks at four lessons the SA teams were taught on tour.

WILLEMSE CENTRE OF ATTENTION

It’s a rugby tale as old as time - the curse of versatility.

The Stormers game, or more so the result, against Connacht was a frustrating one, mainly thanks to the stellar job done by Ben Blair.

That aside, one of the highlights of the match was the performance of Damian Willemse. He owned that No 12 spot.

After being initially named at fullback, the Springbok back moved to 12 after Dan du Plessis was withdrawn due to delayed post-concussion syndrome.

Willemse was simply outstanding, and his display was made even better by the fact that his on-the-day position was a late switch.

But for all the good he did, one can’t help but wonder if his superb outing in midfield will reinforce talks or consideration of him being used there.

His balling ability is unquestionable, but will his versatility do more harm than good in terms of him eventually settling in one position?

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BOSCH FAR TOO DEEP

An important takeaway from the Sharks’ imperfect win over Benetton is that playing Curwin Bosch comes at a price.

The selection of Bosch surprised many because he had been frozen out of the side because of poor form, and coach Sean Everitt explained that he had brought the 24-year-old back to do a specific job, and that was to kick goals and to put the Sharks into the right areas of the field. Bosch did as he was tasked but the other side of the Bosch coin is that he does not bring his backs into play enough.

He stands too deep, in the pocket, and takes the