Jasper Wiese aims to make amends for “something stupid that I did” when he returns for the Springboks against the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday.
The Cake Tin clash will be the No 8’s first Test in two months, after being red-carded for an attempted headbutt during the Boks’ 45-0 win over Italy in Port Elizabeth.
In his absence, the Boks used three different players at the back of the scrum – including his younger brother Cobus against Georgia, Siya Kolisi against Australia at Ellis Park and last week’s loss to the All Blacks, and Kwagga Smith in the win over the Wallabies in Cape Town after Jean-Luc du Preez was ruled out through illness.
Wiese stayed in camp and trained throughout, which kept him match-fit but also heightened the frustration of watching from the sidelines as the Boks searched for solutions at No 8.
“I don’t think you can get that time back,” he told the media on Thursday. “I know it’s something stupid that I did, and I put myself in that position. I won’t hold back.
“I was a bit frustrated with myself over the past few weeks over that stupid thing that I did.
“The All Blacks are one of the biggest Tests for any South African player and I’ve worked hard over the past few weeks.
“Hopefully, I can work hard and give my best as I’m very hungry to express myself at the weekend.”
MORE: Duane relishes Jasper’s Bok return
Wiese has five wins from seven starts against the All Blacks and knows he will need to be at his best if the Boks are to bounce back from their Eden Park defeat.
“We’re going to have to be more physical than them,” he said. “That’s one thing [physicality] we do have, and we need to push the button, so it’s going to be more important than other weeks.
“We had a good look at ourselves, and they outplayed us [in Auckland], but we must focus ourselves and the things we did well,” he added. “They outsmarted us in a lot of ways, so it’s about learning [lessons] from last week and applying them.”
KEO: Nextgen Boks can fly at Sky Stadium
Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
