A contentious red card after 11 minutes for lock Franco Mostert meant the Springboks had to shuffle things around and make four substitutions before the half-hour mark in an attempt to stay in the contest as they were losing the scrum battle.
“We had to work really hard and come up with solutions on the field,” Willemse said. “Overall, I’m just very happy with the resilience and character everyone showed. Credit to the coaching staff as well, they came up with plans and answers when we went down to 14 men with the red card.
“A lot of guys came into the team without much game time and stepped up in a big Test like this. That gives us massive confidence. I’m just proud of the character shown by everyone.”
Willemse said the Springboks’ reaction to adversity again shows how much the group buys into the plans of the coaches and simply gets on with the job without ego.
“If I had to sum it up in one word, it’s ‘trust’. At half-time the coaches gave us clear plans and messages for the second half. Italy pressed us really hard in that first 10 minutes, but we stuck to the plan,” he said.
“It takes a team and it takes trust to do something like that. Italy played really well, they’re a quality side with a strong set piece, good defence, good attack, and a very good kicking game.
“But this team keeps showing up and keeps showing what this badge means to us, to South Africa, and to our families. It’s hard to put into words what it means to play like that and get the result.”
The Springboks now head to Dublin to face Ireland on Saturday in a fixture that has become something of a grudge match over the last few years.
The Irish will be buoyed by their excellent 46-19 win over Australia this weekend.
“We’re going to need everything against Ireland, every player, whether they’re in the 23 or not, every coach, every staff member. We know they’re a world-class team, especially in Dublin. They’ll be ready and well prepared,” Willemse said.
“So we’ll get back to work on Monday, make sure we dial in our plans, and be ready for the challenge next week.”