Welcome Mike Willemse

Trailfinders are pleased to announce the signing of Mike Willemse.

Willemse is a South African hooker who joins having played most recently in the Premiership for London Irish where he made 15 appearances since signing in 2021.

In his first campaign with London Irish, he featured heavily, including playing in all six of their games during the Exile’s run to the 2022 Premiership Cup final, which they agonisingly lost in extra time.

Before coming to the U.K, the hooker was a dominant force in the southern hemisphere. He practiced his craft at Grey High School in Port Elizabeth.

2013 proved to be a breakout season for Willemse, scoring three tries in six starts during the Varsity Cup for the UCT Ikey Tigers.

He would then go on to be included in the South Africa U20s squad for the 2013 Junior World Championship where he played in three games, and scored twice against the United States.

In 2014, he was called up to the Stormers Super Rugby Squad and would go on to make four appearances before moving to the Eastern Province Kings, Golden Lions, and then the Southern Kings.

After eight tries and 42 appearances for Southern Kings, Willemse moved to Edinburgh for two seasons where he scored six times in 40 games, before then moving down to Irish.

After signing with Trailfinders, Willemse said: “I’m excited to get going with another ambitious club London.

“I’ve learned a lot since moving to the U.K and I’m looking forward to bringing that knowledge to Trailfinders as we hunt for silverware.”

Director of Rugby Ben Ward said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Mike to the pack. He will provide tremendous competition across the front row as well boosting our set-piece and being a force in the loose.

“It’s great to sign someone of his pedigree and he will be a fine addition to this group of players.”