Mike Willemse on his return to play and having been a leader from the sidelines

Vice Club Captain Mike Willemse previews Round Sixteen against Coventry as he returns to play for the first time this season. 

The hooker will feature in the Trailfinders squad against the West Midlands side after recovering from a pectoral injury sustained earlier in the season.

Willemse emphasised how the rehabilitation period has helped to reignite his energy and desire to be back on the rugby pitch.

“I’m really excited to be back. I think the break sort of… I don’t want to say reignited my desire, but I think to some extent, it gets you a little bit more keen to play than if you just go on every week.

“It’s been good to watch the boys carry on. I want to be a part of it. I think it’s been so long for me out on the side, and the rehab side of things has been tough. I think you train harder in rehab than when you’re playing. I’ve really enjoyed getting back into the team. I just want to stay there now.”

Director of Rugby Ben Ward named Willemse as Vice Club Captain alongside Jordy Reid with Angus Kernohan as Club Captain. Whilst Willemse has not had the opportunity to implement his leadership skills within a match day scenario as a result of his rehab, he’s been watching closely from the side lines and maintaining communication with the wider leadership group.

“I think the rehab period actually gave me a bit more time to focus on things completely off field,” he said.

“Myself, Angus and Jordy, we’ve got a tight connection. So we’ll chat about things regardless. It’s actually been quite nice to see the other side of things, like spend a bit of time with the guys that aren’t really training all the time. I want to be able to add value on that front.

“It’s been quite cool as I’ve had the capacity to take the perspectives of everyone and now I can bring it into the general group that’s playing every weekend. As a whole, it’s worked quite well.”

Willemse has clearly taken a positive mindset to prior physical set backs and used the time to gauge the ambitions of the wider squad. Whilst no rugby player wants to find themselves on the sidelines, Willemse took the last few months during his rehab to observe the mindset of constant improvement within the Trailfinders squad and how supportive the players are of one another.

“We’ve got a competitive group. Everyone wants to play.

“The crazy thing about it is that everyone’s very tight as well. You’ll get guys in the same position helping each other to try and get better. And it’s been pretty cool to see.

“Naturally everyone’s just getting better and better and better. It makes training tough because I get seriously competitive, but it’s healthy: the desire to want to play and be selected. It’s healthy competition.

“I think the way the hookers have been playing has been insane. If I can just get back to where I left off last season, I’d be very happy. I don’t want to put any pressure on myself to do anything crazy, but I thought last year was kind of really good and I’ve worked really hard now, so I feel like I’m probably in a bit of a better position than I was at the end of last season.

“Without putting pressure on myself, it’s about trying to get back to that starting position.”

The last time Ealing Trailfinders faced Coventry was in Round Four of the Champ at Butts Park Arena. The first forty minutes in Round Four saw for a physical battle between the two sides, though Trailfinders broke away with a sequence of tries in the second half to win 36-63. Willemse offered his thoughts on this weekend’s opposition.

“Coventry have scored a lot of points against us in the past. In our defensive meetings in the mornings this week, we actually had a look at the footage from previous games and how they’ve scored against us in the last four encounters. Every time it’s been 30 or just under 30 points. That’s not where we want to be. But it’s a testament to how good they are and how much they take us on.

“We know Coventry pose serious threats and we’ll have to be on the ball this Saturday.

“We’ll be right up for it this weekend. Because of that, I think we’ve got a bit of a point to prove in that sense. We scored a lot of tries against them last time out, but they scored a lot of tries against us very quickly. We’ve been really focussing on our defensive front this week and hopefully it goes well.”

A big part of the team culture at Ealing Trailfinders are the team braais. As a cultural South African tradition where meat is seasoned, braaied over flame, with plenty of conversation, it’s no wonder that the masterminds behind a Trailfinders braai are South Africans Mike Willemse and Bobby de Wee.

“I mean, I can’t deny that we definitely take lead on the braais,” Willemse said. “It’s just a good way to bring everyone together. Everyone gets involved.

“A braai is about the cooking but it’s also about chilling together and enjoying a chat. I love seeing everyone get involved. The guys sort out their stations, who’s doing what. Yeah, they enjoy it.”

Team bonding on and off the pitch is a pivotal part of what makes the culture at Trailfinders what it is.

“The players would have to lead on that front when it comes to organising socials. But I think Ben Ward and Tom McLaughlin allow us an opportunity to do that sort of stuff. And it’s still something we’re trying to get better at.

“We have our leadership groups, which has got both young and older people in it just to get ideas and share our thoughts. We want this to be a place where people really enjoy coming and it’s not just about the players, it’s about everyone.

“The boys are really enjoying the social side of the environment that the Club provides.”

Just like any rugby team, player socials are a sacred part of the season. Leading the charge as social secretary for Ealing Trailfinders is second rower Danny Cutmore.

“Oh, he’s awesome to be fair,” Willemse said on Cutmore in his role as social sec. “He leads the charge so… Yeah, he’s good. There’s no holding back with him.

“I think locks in general like to be in control of things. It makes sense for him to be running the show. That’s very much DC. He enjoys the social side of rugby. So do I – I think everyone does. That’s one of the things that makes this place a great environment to be in.”