Maurice Willemse announced himself in KwaZulu-Natal schoolboy rugby as a finisher of real quality, representing the Sharks at the 2023 Craven Week where coverage credited him with a hat-trick against Eastern Province. His schoolboy highlights earned a strong following, marking him as one of the province's most exciting young outside backs.
Willemse stepped into the professional pathway with the Sharks in 2025, and was named among the backs in the union's Currie Cup squad in July that year - a group headlined by Junior Springbok world champions.
Still only 21, the 1.79 m speedster fits the Sharks' investment in home-grown pace out wide. With senior wings ahead of him for guidance, the 2026/27 Currie Cup campaign offers Willemse the platform to convert schoolboy promise into regular first-team rugby.