'He's really knocked the door down on that side': How the Springboks now rate Jasper Wiese
Rassie Erasmus has spoken this week about how it is suddenly an advantage that South Africa have so many players based overseas, not only their Springboks but uncapped players such as Jasper Wiese at Leicester who wouldn’t have been on their radar before. South African rugby officials used to habitually foam at the mouth in exasperation over how the low value of the rand left them vulnerable to the far more lucrative sterling, euro and yen, money that convinced so many of their players that their club careers were best served by being based away from home.
That trend has diluted the potential strength of the domestic product, a decline reflected in how there wasn’t a Super Rugby winner from South Africa since the Bulls were crowned champions in 2010. However, the powers that be are no longer moaning about this talent drain.
With the pandemic leading to the break-up of the old Super Rugby set-up and leaving the four main franchises existing on a seemingly endless repeat cycle of local derbies, it has become a blessing in disguise that so many South Africans are plying their trade abroad and thriving in better intensity tournaments.
Everyone recognises the stars and how they are doing. Cheslin Kolbe was crowned a Heineken Champions Cup winners last weekend with Toulouse, Handre Pollard became a Challenge Cup champion for Montpellier while Faf de Klerk is in the thick of Sale’s battle to clinch a Gallagher Premiership title, Friday night’s epic victory over league leaders Bristol the latest step on that journey.
However, with the director of rugby Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber set to unveil a 45-strong squad next Saturday for the Springboks Test series versus Georgia and the Lions, and the South Africa A game versus Warren Gatland’s tourists, there is plenty of scope for some previously unheralded players working abroad to force their way in.
For years South African officials bemoaned the loss of Springboks to wealthier overseas clubs but they have now revised that opinion ahead of the Lions tour https://t.co/OeDzS8PnnU
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 28, 2021
Take Wiese, the 25-year-old No8 who has forced his way into the Springboks conversation vis his recent prominence in England with Leicester. He had learned his trade with the Guinness PRO14 Cheetahs, playing on their pre-pandemic tour against Leinster and Ulster in Ireland in February 2020. But that was the end of the line for the Bloemfontein-based franchise, the Cheetahs left high and dry by that league after three years criss-crossing the equator.
It left Wiese in a pickle: there were no opportunities at home with pandemic closing down the game, but it opened the door for Leicester to pounce. Aside from last week’s try-scoring appearance in the Challenge Cup final, there have been a lively dozen Premiership appearances in which he has carried 162 times for a 651-metre gain, beaten 50 defenders, given four offloads, won four turnovers and scored three tries.
On the flip side, there have been 16 penalties conceded, ten turnovers coughed up, two yellow cards and one red, but those downsides haven’t stopped hype being generated that Wiese is set for a Springboks squad call-up, something he wouldn’t have been in the frame for if he had stayed at home after the Cheetahs’ PRO14 adventure ground to a half.
Erasmus and Nienaber had asked the media at their end-of-week conference not to quiz them on selection speculation, to just let next weekend’s squad announcement happen and then they would be happy to talk. However, after Erasmus had spoken about his sudden satisfaction that so many South Africans were earning their living abroad in these pandemic times, Nienaber wound up answering at length a specific question on Wiese and his emergence in recent months at Leicester to become a possible fresh Springboks pick.
“I want to latch on to what Rassie said in the previous comment that we are actually lucky in terms of our players being exposed to so many competitions abroad,” said Nienaber ahead of Wiese’s latest appearance for Leicester in Saturday’s trip to bottom club Worcester.
“Jasper is probably one of those players. Locally he would have played almost trials (if he stayed at home) but now he has had the opportunity to go and play in the Premiership and he really knocked the door down on that side.
“He is really performing well and I guess he blossomed there, got exposed there and we got a good look at him. He is playing at a top-level competition against some of the best players in the world and he is handling himself quite well. He is in a good environment at Leicester, he has got good quality coaches there, we know Aled (Walters) from the Springboks who is working on the performance side of that.
“Jasper is in an environment where he is well looked after from a conditioning point of view, from a coaching point of view and there is good communication between us and Leicester. It’s always nice when that happens, a good relationship with a club. It’s tough for us to compete with your guys’ currency, the rand against the pound.
“We would advise them not to go but if a player does want to go and there is an opportunity it’s nice for us to say, listen, here is an awesome club like Leicester which we have a good relationship with, we think your rugby would thrive there, you will become a better player and that will work well with us. It’s always nice to advance your career.
“Ninety per cent of the clubs are like that. We do have a few challenges with some of the clubs and in the future let’s say a player wants to leave, just be mindful we don’t always have the access to you when you go to certain clubs which might hamper your playing career with the Springboks, just have that in the back of your mind. On Jasper, I must say he is really playing well and performing well and let’s hope he continues doing that going into the back end of the season.”
Erasmus and Nienaber have fronted media 22 days after Gatland named his squad of 37 https://t.co/e1nG1nRy5P
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 28, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments