Jasper Wiese Bok team

Jasper Wiese in action for the Boks. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix

OPINION: Vermeulen facing real fight to reclaim Bok No 8 jersey

Jasper Wiese has suddenly, and quite firmly, taken hold of the Bok No 8 jersey in a position where there is intense competition.

Jasper Wiese Bok team

Jasper Wiese in action for the Boks. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix

With 64 Tests to his name, Bok veteran Duane Vermeulen has been backed extensively to start at No 8 since the start of the Rassie Erasmus-Jacques Nienaber era in 2018. During that time, he was the Man of the Match in the triumphant 2019 World Cup final, and has been one of the Springboks most consistently influential performers.

However, when Vermeulen suffered a serious injury on the eve of the British & Irish Lions series, the Boks turned to Leicester Tigers superstar Jasper Wiese, who was in the form of his life over in England.

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Since then, Wiese has quickly racked up 17 Test appearances, but some standout performances have also been interspersed with other strangely unconvincing displays.

It’s clearly taken a bit of time for Wiese to fully adjust his game to meet the demands of Test rugby, while also finding his feet in the Springboks’ environment, where there are considerable demands on the man who wears the all-important No 8 jersey.

Jasper Wiese made his Bok debut against Georgia in July 2021

Once again this year, Wiese has had to fulfil a crucial frontline role after Vermeulen missed the Wales Test serious in order to undergo a medical procedure, while the 36-year-old has battled to get back up to speed after making his recent return to the national setup.

Just this past weekend, Vermeulen was omitted from the matchday squad against Argentina, while Wiese made his ninth Test start, and produced one of his most composed performances in hostile conditions in Buenos Aires. According to the official Sanzaar statistics, Wiese can be credited with 41m and 11 carries, while beating three defenders in a memorable performance from the big man.

With the World Cup less than a year away, Wiese looks increasingly assured in the Bok starting lineup, and the 26-year-old can be viewed as the rightful incumbent on the basis of his physicality, ball-carrying strength and ever-improving discipline. While he doesn’t boast the same sort of breakdown threat as Vermeulen, this is somewhat offset by the strengths of Malcolm Marx in this area of play, and the importance of the hooker being back in the run-on XV can’t be overlooked.

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Ultimately, there is some healthy competition that has formed quite dramatically for the eighthman role, and you can rest assured that Vermeulen will be working around the clock to fight his way back into strong contention.

Then there are young guns such as Evan Roos and Elrigh Louw who will be desperately motivated to impress in the United Rugby Championship and continue adding more competition to proceedings.

However, all of a sudden, Wiese seems to have taken full authority of the No 8 jersey, and it will take some work for Vermeulen to reclaim a starting berth on current form.

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Duane Vermeulen is back for the Boks. Photo by Mark Lewis/Huw Evans/Shutterstock/BackpagePix
Duane Vermeulen is back for the Boks. Photo by Mark Lewis/Huw Evans/Shutterstock/BackpagePix