Willemse was able to complete the match to keep the Stormers at 15 players on the pitch but was moved out to the wing to try to lessen his involvement, and coach John Dobson revealed the injury afterwards.
How severe it is remains to be seen, but it may mean Willemse, a key player in the Springboks’ backline, could miss part or all of the team’s five-match Autumn International series that takes in games against Japan (in London starting next Saturday), France, Italy, Ireland, and Wales.
“Damian Willemse has probably got a pulled hamstring,” Dobson said after the match. “He was moved to the wing, which I thought was really clever by (captain) Ruhan (Nel) so that he didn’t have to defend too much.
“It probably puts some of his (Springbok) tour at risk, but the fact that he didn’t want to come off and kept playing for the Stormers was very special.”
Willemse is the only specialist full-back in the Springbok squad, though he can also play fly-half and centre, but there are a host of players who can cover in the number 15 jersey.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Edwill van der Merwe, Ethan Hooker, and even Cheslin Kolbe would be options, with Aphelele Fassi out injured and veteran Willie le Roux not chosen for the tour.
The Stormers, winners of the URC in 2022, had never won away at Benetton before and also inflicted a first home defeat on their Italian opponents in exactly one year.
“It’s a very special win for us,” Dobson said. “We’ve never won here before and it’s a really tough place to play. It was a really tough game where they obviously rolled out their big, internationally-laden team.
“It was an incredibly tough first half physically. They employed different tactics to what we’ve faced in the first four rounds. Where other teams kicked the ball out, they just put up contestable after contestable.
“To go through a tour unbeaten, for a team that travels badly, is a very special achievement by a special group of players,” Dobson said.