Opening the Boland bowling, he finished the match with 1/44, claiming future South Africa national team head coach Mickey Arthur as his first wicket.

[3] In the 1998–99 season, a string of good performances saw Willoughby selected to play for South Africa A against the touring West Indians.

[3] He made his international debut late in the following 1999–2000 season, appearing in a Coca-Cola Sharjah Cup match against Pakistan.

Three wickets for South Africa A in each of the one-day matches against 'The Rest' in February 2003 led to his inclusion in the One Day International (ODI) squad for the 2003 TVS Cup in Bangladesh.

He also performed consistently in 2007, a season in which Somerset achieved promotion to the first division of the County Championship as well as the Natwest Pro40.