Jasper Wiese hails from the town of Upington, on the banks of the Orange River close to the Namibian border.
The town is known for three things: its beautiful lamb, exceptional fortified wine, and former Springboks and Wallabies hardman Tiaan Strauss.
Back in the day, when No 8 Strauss was gracing the Newlands pitch as Western Province captain, locals jokingly said he used to tackle springboks and kudus to warm up for every new season. Strauss was a machine with ball in hand and a bruising tackler, but these days there is another son of Upington causing opposition attackers and defenders serious pain.
Springbok No 8 Wiese has dished up the hits over the past three weekends against the All Blacks, becoming a marked man following a powerful performance in the first Test of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry, where he left a trail of destruction every time he carried the ball.
Indeed, the All Blacks opted to gang-tackle him in the subsequent two Tests to prevent him from supplying the Springboks with trademark front-foot momentum.
Yet, not even that could stop him from punching a hole through their defence in the third Test in Soweto. His surge triggered a remarkable sequence of play, including prop Ox Nché miraculously clinging on to Wiese’s offload, before flyhalf Manie Libbok’s pace and footwork carried the Boks to the New Zealand tryline.
That break ultimately yielded a penalty try for the Springboks following a massive scrum, laying the foundation for their victory.
Wiese thrives on the physical side of the sport, calling it the lekkerist part of the game, even if his abrasive style takes a heavy toll on his body.
“I think the physicality is always the nicest part for me about rugby,” 48-cap Springbok Wiese said this week.
“Sometimes you’re getting dominated, and sometimes you dominate. You’re not going to win every contact point, but I wouldn’t say it’s the nicest — it’s the lekkerist part of playing rugby, that.”
Wiese admitted he has needed pain medication following the ferocious clashes with the All Blacks, expecting New Zealand to bring the heat again on Saturday in the US as they attempt to level the four-match series.
“The All Blacks are a physical team. If I’m honest, after a game I’m always sore,” Wiese said. “But you take a few pain pills on a Sunday, get the body going again on the Monday, and then we rinse and repeat the week again.
“We know how much it means to them as well, and I think they’re going to come out guns blazing this weekend.” | IOL Sport