MHR: Paul Willemse is back and knows he is expected, a few months before the end of his contract

Nearly six months after his last match with the MHR, Paul Willemse should make his return with Montpellier this Saturday in Bayonne (4:30 p.m.). An expected return for the French international, who is also out of contract at the end of the season.

“Paul Willemse is back”, episode we no longer know how many. The second row comes out of a long tunnel again. He can finally wear the MHR jersey again, almost six months after his last appearance. It was on April 7, in the eighth finals of the Challenge, against Ulster. The colossus (2m, 130kg) of South African origin, in great shape, was sent off for a dangerous tackle, two months after his red card received against Ireland during the first match of the Six Nations Tournament for the same reasons.

His return to the field took longer than expected. Suspended for five weeks after the match against Ulster (although he had already come out of a four-week suspension a month earlier), Willemse suffered a serious concussion. A new one. Result: three months of mandatory rest after consultation with the medical profession. Consequence: the suspension is frozen while he recovers.

The sanction was therefore served on the first five matches of the season (2 friendlies + 3 first days). He should be in the game in Bayonne this Saturday, September 28.

A return expected and appreciated by the Montpellier staff, who will have the opportunity to give Tyler Duguid a breather, who has been in the lineup for 32 of the last 35 MHR matches. His power and skill in obscure tasks will be valuable.

"Is it the end ?"

This return will be particularly closely monitored. Between the French XV and the numerous injuries (rupture of the medial lateral ligament in April 2022, recalcitrant hamstring since), the native of Pretoria has only played 40 matches (out of 90 possible) with the MHR over the last three seasons. At the end of his contract next June for his tenth year in Hérault and considered one of the club's highest earners, Willemse knows that he must prove himself on the pitch, even if his performances are rarely questioned. But his physical problems and his numerous absences – he notably missed the 2022 finals and the play-off match in June 2024 – have caused internal grumbling. These next few weeks could be decisive for his future, both personal and professional.

His motivation to put his boots back on is great, they assure us within the club. Even if the player's latest concussion has upset him. “I have four children, I'm starting to think about what's next. Why does it happen ? What did I do less well ? Is this the end ? I think about it a lot, the French international (32 caps) recently testified in Le Figaro. I am in this scenario of choosing whether to continue or not, and all my loved ones, including my wife, are pushing me to stop. She is afraid of the after-effects. I am at an age where the end of my career is near." His next steps on the field will be closely scrutinized.

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