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Schoolboy superstar's transition into giant hooker nearing completion
The evolution of Jan-Hendrik Wessels has been unconventional, to say the least. The 22-year-old – who featured at lock, loose forward and in the front row at school – is now being groomed as the next ‘hooker project’ at the Bulls.
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Born in Bloemfontein and schooled at Grey College, he was a superstar in age-group rugby.
Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White even once compared him to the two-time World Cup-winning Springbok prop Os du Randt.
However, Wessels – at 1.90 metres and 120 kilograms – is now getting most of his game time in the No.2 jersey and being compared to Bok great Malcolm Marx.
Wessels has played 169 minutes of the Bulls’ 180 minutes in this year’s Champions Cup campaign.
He played 12 minutes in the 27-16 Round One win over Saracens, played 80 minutes in the 28-29 Round Two loss to Lyon Olympique and 77 minutes in last week’s Round Three win (31-17) over Bristol Bears.
Wessels will also start when the Bulls host Bordeaux Bègles in a Champions Cup crunch match in Pretoria on Saturday.
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He made 91 metres from 18 carries in Europe this season, with one clean break and statistics also reflect that he has beaten two defenders.
The rookie hooker has made 25 tackles, at a success rate of 81 percent – with two turnovers.
Some of his core skills, such as line-out throwing, do need work. Last week in Bristol the Bulls won less than 90 percent of their line-outs.
However, that is not of concern to the Bulls boss, who pointed out that Marx also struggled with his core skills when he first came on the scene.
“I am confident he [Wessels] will get it right,” White said.
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“There is a hooker called Malcolm Marx, who lost a Test for South Africa against New Zealand and lost a couple of games for the Lions during his ‘learning’ process.
“Now Malcolm Marx is one of the best players in the world,” White said of the 64-times capped Bok stalwart. “That is the school fees you have to pay,” the Bulls boss said about his rookie No.2.
“The only way he is going to learn is by playing in a big game and throwing the ball in on the tryline.
“I am happy to keep pushing him, because when he gets it right, he has all the attributes to be a great player.
“He knows he has to work hard on that. I am comfortable, the more he gets into those situations, the better he will become.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pacific Lions, cry me a river
125 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
125 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
125 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
125 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
125 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
125 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
125 Go to commentsHo hum.
125 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
125 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
125 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
125 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
125 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
125 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
125 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
125 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
125 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
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