Rassie Erasmus notes Cobus Wiese’s physical edge and versatility as key reasons behind the Vodacom Bulls star’s return to the Springbok setup.
Wiese has made an instant impact since joining the Bulls from Sale Sharks in July 2024, the powerful utility forward becoming a key player in White’s pack.
The 27-year-old’s ability to play lock and in the back row has added valuable depth to the Herd and, previously part of the wider Bok squad in 2018, Wiese has the chance to play alongside his brother Jasper for the Boks this year after his call-up for the June-July clashes against the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia.
Speaking to Rapport, Erasmus explained that Wiese’s ability to generate momentum, and stop it, makes him a rare asset.
“When a guy talks to Wilco Louw and asks how it feels when that guy scrums behind you, and you talk to the other props, it’s just that physical, hard thing of giving momentum and stopping momentum that stands out,” Erasmus said.
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“He left for Sale Sharks young. Then it’s hard to just pick someone. He’s a big guy. Jake uses him to gain momentum and stop. We’d like him to do exactly what he does for Jake.”
“He can play four and seven. Plus, he sometimes calls the lineout signals at the Bulls. That opens up our options quite a bit.”
Wiese’s inclusion also speaks to Erasmus’ broader squad strategy. “At the beginning of the season there are usually a lot of locks and then towards the end of it we are a bit thin on locks. Take out Eben [Etzebeth], Jean [Kleyn], Lood [de Jager], Salmaan [Moerat] and RG [Snyman], then you have players like Sous [Franco Mostert], Cobus, JL [Jean-Luc] and Vincent who are all swingers, meaning who can play lock and flank.”
“This helps a lot if we want to play around with teams,” the Bok head coach said. “If we maintain momentum, we would like to give players caps. Cobus falls into that versatile group of players.”
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