Damian Willemse welcomes pressure ahead of crunch Champions Cup showdown

The Stormers enter the knockouts after dealing with a brutal pool that included Leinster, Leicester Tigers, La Rochelle, Sale Sharks and Stade Francais with wins against all the last three teams.

The competition format has them drawn against La Rochelle, who played in Cape Town earlier in the season, where a dramatic finish saw Manie Libbok steal the win for the hosts with a clutch kick late on.

As a Rugby World Cup winner, Willemse knows how to deal with pressure and he wants the team to not only embrace the challenge but remember to enjoy the occasion as well.

"I am just super proud about what we've done in this competition," Willemse said. "We went to Welford Road and got great confidence going into the next game.

"We came home and beat La Rochelle right at the end. We got over the hurdle against Sale Sharks and then we went to Paris, which was really tough in that time of winter. We won that game as well and that's the confidence we can take.

"This is a round of 16 game, this is knockout round. It's pressure. It's all about how we as a team manage that pressure and come up with solutions.

"It's a massive occasion. We can't look at it and not have fun. That's what we do as the Stormers. We go out and play to the best of our ability, but we also go and have fun. We can't just be under pressure, we need to enjoy ourselves."

There is simply no questioning the quality of La Rochelle who are loaded with Test players almost from top to bottom and have been boosted by the return of Jonathan Danty from his ban copped during the Six Nations.

Willemse expects the French side to be deadly on the counter-attack, with former Stormers duo Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule likely to be involved.

"They are a very well-coached, talented side," Willemse said. "They can keep the ball and can take you on physically. They can counter-attack with their outside backs.

"They have Danty, who carries very well. Then they've got Raymond, Jack Nowell or Dillyn at the back, or Brice Dulin. They've got everything in their artillery.

"This is not a pool game. This is a round of 16, so there is going to be pressure and tight moments, that we need to be ready for and sharp.

"They have got more experience than us, in terms of playing in this competition, but we are just making sure that we are prepared for whatever comes on Saturday."

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