Duane Vermeulen says the return of Jasper Wiese from suspension adds extra punch to the Bok pack ahead of Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks in Wellington.
Wiese has served a four-match ban and slots straight back into the No 8 jersey, where his trademark physicality and hard carrying will be vital against a New Zealand side renowned for front-foot momentum.
“It’s great to have him back in the mix,” Vermeulen said on Tuesday. “He’s one of the guys who really gives us go-forward, so we’ll see what he brings to the game.
“The No 8 is the link between the forward pack and backline, and I believe we selected an exciting backline, so I’m looking forward to seeing what Jasper brings to the party.”
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During Wiese’s absence, and with Bulls duo Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom as well as Jean-Luc du Preez unavailable, coach Rassie Erasmus used Bok captain Siya Kolisi at No 8, with Kwagga Smith typically providing impact off the bench.
Erasmus said at Monday’s team announcement that Wiese is one of the Boks’ biggest weapons, which he can’t wait to deploy.
“Siya did a great job in the first game [against Australia at Ellis Park] until he hurt his knee, and I thought he did a really, really good job again last weekend. Kwagga does well when he comes on and now having Jasper back is obviously a massive plus.”
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Having faced New Zealand on several occasions, Vermeulen – who made the transition from a player to a coach after the 2023 World Cup – said he preferred to leave it up to the other Bok coaches to guide the younger players on what to expect from the All Blacks this weekend.
“I can probably just talk about the environment, but there are a couple of guys who are still playing when I played, and all the coaches also give their input, so I don’t really work a lot with that side of things.”
Photo: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images
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