Duane Vermeulen has underlined Jasper Wiese’s growing influence in the Springbok set-up ahead of the powerful No 8’s 50th Test in Perth on Sunday.
Wiese has been named on the bench for the Optus Stadium showdown after an intense workload during the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
At Tuesday’s team announcement, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said Wiese will act as extra security given that Marco van Staden starts at No 8, a position he’s unaccustomed to in the Bok set-up where he’s largely been used as a flank or backup hooker.
Vermeulen has seen Wiese’s impact from both sides of the touchline.
“I enjoyed playing against him and I’m also enjoying coaching him,” he said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“He’s a fantastic player, a really big stalwart in the team, and became one of the leaders in the team’s core leadership group.
“He’s your go-to guy when you want go-forward ball and he’s really been playing well.
“It’s a fantastic achievement [reaching 50 caps] and we’re looking forward to a helluva lot more of what we can get from him.”
DUANE: We’ll have a game on our hands
Photo: Alan Spiegler/Gallo Images
