Springbok loose forward Jasper Wiese has married “insatiable” brute force with improved discipline to make him one of the players to watch in Test rugby this year, according to MARK KEOHANE.
He came off the bench and crashed over in the 50th minute on Friday, and fellow Bok Handre Pollard converted for a personal haul of 11 points as English Premiership club Leicester Tigers edged Edinburgh to reach the Champions Cup last 8.
Wiese has been colossal for Leicester in all competitions this season and in his TimesLIVE column, Keohane argues that the 27-year-old has leapfrogged Duane Vermeulen in the Bok No 8 pecking order, in the build up to a blockbuster 2023 schedule for the world champions.
“Wiese’s form this season has been insatiable. His power in the collisions is unmatched among loose forwards in the [Champions Cup] competition and he is currently the in-form South African loose forward in the world,” he writes.
WATCH: Jasper Wiese, force of nature
“On balance, so far, you’d have to rank Vermeulen in the Bok top two No 8s, with Wiese setting the pace. Last season’s young bucks have fallen off the pace.
“Elrigh Louw has been industrious but has suffered playing for a Bulls team that in all competitions have won just two of their last 15 matches and have lost nine in succession.
“The Stormers No 8 Evan Roos is expected to return to action in the next fortnight and he will be hoping for a powerful play-off month in the URC to remind the national coaches of his qualities. Roos, like Vermeulen last season, has suffered because of injury.
“Wiese, though, has leapfrogged the bunch, and whether he starts or comes off the bench, his impact is immediate. He is a human wrecking ball on the charge and equally devastating in making the tackle. He inevitably breaks the first tackle and has remarkable pace for a player of his size and weight.
“His skill level has also improved in the past 24 months, but the biggest attribute to his all-round game has been his discipline. Long may it continue for Wiese. On this form he will be one of the stars of the Rugby Championship and World Cup.”
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