Wiese’s Return Adds Missing Edge to Bok Pack

The Springboks head into Saturday’s showdown with the All Blacks in Wellington knowing they are in must-win territory if they want to stay in the Rugby Championship hunt. For Rassie and the Boks, the timing of Jasper Wiese’s return could hardly be better.

Back from a four-match suspension, Wiese is restored to his familiar No.8 jersey, and with it comes a dimension the Boks have been sorely lacking in recent weeks. Few players in world rugby combine sheer physicality, tireless work rate, and the ability to dominate collisions quite like him. Whether it’s smashing into contact, bulldozing over the gainline, or shifting bodies at the breakdown, Wiese is the type of forward every team craves, and the Springboks have dearly missed.

Since the retirement of Duane Vermeulen after the 2023 World Cup, South Africa have been searching for someone to step into the giant boots of the man who defined the Bok No.8 jersey for over a decade. While no one can ever truly replace Vermeulen’s influence, leadership, and all-round class, Jasper Wiese comes as close as possible in the modern game. Like Duane, Wiese thrives on the unseen graft , the heavy carries into traffic, the breakdown clears that go unnoticed by most fans, and the ability to get his team onto the front foot. It’s this work that lays the foundation for everything else. Without a player of his profile, the Boks have found themselves struggling to generate quick, clean ball, and as a result their backline has been left stifled.

In Wiese’s absence, Erasmus has been forced to reshuffle. Siya Kolisi filled in admirably at No.8, with Kwagga Smith offering his trademark impact from the bench, but neither player brings quite the same raw power or physical presence at the base of the scrum. Add to that the unavailability of Elrigh Louw, Cameron Hanekom, and Jean-Luc du Preez, and the Bok pack has looked just a little short of the edge required to dominate the collisions. Against New Zealand at Eden Park, that gap was brutally exposed. The All Blacks disrupted the Bok lineout, slowed down ruck ball, and starved the South Africans of the platform they needed. In Wellington, that has to change, and Wiese’s return is central to the plan.

Duane Vermeulen, now a specialist coach with the Boks, summed it up this week:

“The No.8 is the link between the forward pack and backline.”

Wiese is that crucial link. When he gets the team moving forward with his carries and ensures quick ball at the breakdown, it gives playmakers like Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu the chance to unleash the likes of Canan Moodie and Damian Willemse in space. Without that go-forward grunt, the Bok backs are forced to attack off scraps.

Saturday’s Test is exactly the type of contest where a player like Wiese proves his worth. New Zealand pride themselves on front-foot rugby, denying them that momentum is step one if South Africa are to walk out of the Cake Tin with a result. Rassie knows it, Duane Vermeulen knows it, and perhaps most importantly, Jasper Wiese knows it. He won’t go the full 80, as Rassie admitted, but even 60 minutes of Wiese at full tilt could be enough to tilt the balance. He’s not a flashy player, but in a game where arm wrestles decide trophies, his ability to do the heavy lifting makes him priceless.

The Springboks are desperate for a complete 80-minute performance after their slow start in Auckland. With Wiese back in the fold, they have one of their biggest weapons reloaded and ready to fire. And if he can channel his physicality into disciplined dominance, he may just be the closest thing the Boks will get to a new Duane Vermeulen.

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