Damian Willemse backs Markus Muller for big future as Stormers debut looms

According to reports, the 18-year-old centre is in line to be included in the matchday 23 for Saturday's high-stakes, top-of-the-table United Rugby Championship clash with the Glasgow Warriors in Cape Town.

Muller, who has already caught the attention of national selectors and earned an invitation to a South Africa national rugby union team alignment camp under Rassie Erasmus, appears poised to take a significant step up into senior professional rugby.

Willemse believes the young midfielder has the ability to reach the highest level of the game, backing him to make the most of the opportunity.

"He's a fantastic player," Willemse said. "I rate him very highly and believe he's going to go far. Not just for the Stormers, but hopefully for the national team as well. I can't wait to see more of him going forward."

According to Willemse, the same qualities that made Muller stand out for Paarl Gimnasium at schoolboy level and fast-tracked him into the Junior Springbok squad have already carried through into senior training.

"What you saw at Paarl Gimnasium at school level has been visible in our training sessions over the past few weeks. He will learn through experience. I'll help him where I can. All I'll say to him is to listen to the coaches and trust his natural instincts and abilities."

Willemse also commented on his recent shift to the wing for the Stormers, where many feel the playmaker is being wasted.

The Bok fullback insisted the positional switch has been a valuable learning curve, helping him broaden his skill set and contribute to the team in new ways.

"It's been a very good challenge. It's been a great addition to the team. I felt it helped us a lot with our adaptability to our kicking and how we approach other teams' kicking games.

“I guess it's another skill set that I've developed over the past few weeks with the coaches' help. It's been going well and I've been enjoying it.”

Muller has also been named in the Junior Springbok set to contest the Under-20 Rugby Championship, which kicks off on Monday, April 27 and will be staged at the Nelson Mandela Stadium.