Eye of the tiger: Leicester’s Jasper Wiese in line for his Bok debut v British and Irish Lions
IMPRESSING: SA’s Jasper Wiese
When the Springbok squad for the Tests against Georgia and the British and Irish Lions is announced on June 5, fans should not be surprised when they hear the name of Jasper Wiese called out.
Brother of former Stormers looseforward Cobus, the 25-year-old Leicester Tigers No.8 has impressed national bosses Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber.
Playing for the Cheetahs from 2017 to July last year, Wiese decided to continue his career abroad – leaving the country before first catching the eye.
Talking to the media on Friday about his overseas-based players ahead of Saturday’s squad announcement of 45 players, SA Rugby’s director of rugby, Erasmus, explained: “Jasper Wiese, I’ll mention him, because he’s been playing very well for Leicester Tigers.
“Then we’ve seen guys like Rynhardt Elstadt and Cheslin Kolbe winning the European Champions Cup with Toulouse.”
He adds: “We’ve had lots of players doing well in the [English] Premiership, and a guy like Damian de Allende is in very good form with Munster in the Pro14. This has been really beneficial for us along with the local boys who have been getting a lot of rugby under the belt.”
Erasmus explained that a larger-than-usual national squad – which will be named after the Rainbow Cup SA clash between the Lions and the Sharks – will be chosen to accommodate both the Springbok and SA A training schedule at the same time.
The SA A team will play the British and Irish Lions on July 14 at the Cape Town Stadium, with the plan to trim the squad to around 35 players before the first Test, also in Cape Town on Saturday, July 24.
The Springboks, though, will make their return to international rugby, after last playing in the World Cup final in 2019, on Friday July 2 in the first of two Tests against Georgia, with the second Test scheduled a week later on July 9.
Head coach Nienaber, who was appointed early last year but will only have his first stab as head coach in July, 18 months later, admits that he is excited to get going in his new role.
Nienaber says: “Yes, I have butterflies and I cannot wait, but from a strategic point of view, the first goal is to win.”