The big Bok No.8 problem - Wiese’s wheels need support

OPINION: Jasper Wiese’s absence and return have reinforced the need for the Springboks to install a suitable back-up option during the upcoming November tour.

When Wiese is at the base of the pack, fit and firing, the Springboks have a brutally simple answer at No.8: a battering ram who wins collisions, racks up post-contact metres and gives the backline momentum from which to launch.

Wiese’s suspension-enforced absence and subsequent return during the Rugby Championship did, however, reinforce a selection problem.

There isn’t – at this stage – a natural like-for-like substitute to step in when the Upington Express stutters.

Since Duane Vermeulen’s final bow at the 2023 World Cup, Wiese has clearly been installed as the go-to option for the Boks at No.8 – starting in 11 of the 22 Tests to date.

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Of the four defeats that the Boks have suffered since the start of 2024, Wiese has only started in one of them – the narrow 28-29 loss in Argentina last year.

Taking into account a red card during his final appearance for Leicester Tigers in 2024 and a suspension for a headbutt against Italy prevented him from playing more Tests, it’s clear that he is the man whom Rassie Erasmus has installed to take up Vermeulen’s mantle.

Returning from his latest ban, Wiese has been in inspired form, giving the Springboks a far better balance to their back row, as the world champions powered to historic successive Rugby Championship titles.

The 29-year-old clocked up a sensational 113 metres from 15 carries – beating three defenders along the way – to help the Boks claim a record-breaking victory over the All Blacks in his first game back in Wellington.

It was a performance that laid the tracks for Wiese to put together arguably his best run of form in the green and gold.

However, it’s also true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. This was no more evident than with how the Boks wobbled in trying to plug the gap opened by Wiese’s bans.

That reality forced Rassie Erasmus into improvisation.

Siya Kolisi, still a world-class openside flanker, donned the No.8 jersey against Australia at Ellis Park and the All Blacks in Auckland.

Lacking Kolisi’s work at the breakdown, as well as Wiese’s power game, the Boks faltered to their only two losses so far this year.

In both games, the Bok pack looked unbalanced and unable to gain the momentum so crucial to “Tonyball”.

With the November tour looming, Erasmus and the Bok coaches can use the remaining five Tests to install a proper backup to Wiese.

If the November tour is about protecting cohesion while guarding against attrition, the best short-term plan is clear: pick a like-for-like substitute whose arrival allows the Boks to keep their game-plan intact.

Enter Juarno Augustus.

The former Junior Bok star was in Bok alignment earlier this year; a rehab hiccup after his move to Ulster delayed a debut, but he’s pushing for selection again.

In his first two URC appearances, Trokkie has made 26 carries for 90 metres, including 50 post-contact metres, beating four defenders.

That pragmatic choice does not preclude a longer-term development picture.

Cameron Hanekom remains a high-upside candidate: his athleticism and ball-carrying profile suggest he can grow into a Test-quality No.8 as well as openside flanker.

Elrigh Louw also remains a hugely valuable utility forward but is on long-term knee rehab and is destined for a 2026 return.

The coaching staff needs a two-track approach: take Augustus for immediate, like-for-like cover, while preserving and accelerating Hanekom’s arc for the medium-term.

To put it more simply: you don’t replace Jasper Wiese’s engine with tinkering – you need a like-for-like bolt-on. Augustus is the plug-in the Boks can trust to step in without rewiring the pack.