Springboks player Bruiser Jasper Wiese will play his 50th test match against Australia on Sunday, where the number 8 is expected to make an impact by coming off the bench in Perth.
Wiese does not object to stepping away from the starting lineup to play his 50th match for the Springboks as a substitute, which is what will happen in the game against the Wallabies on Sunday. Usually, head coach Rassie Erasmus prefers players to mark their milestone matches in the starting squad.
However, the Boks' plans for the clash at Optus Stadium in Perth (the match starts at 11:45 South African time) require Wiese to play as a substitute. Erasmus explained on Tuesday during the squad announcement why the decision was made to use this powerful number 8 as an impact player rather than letting him start his 50th match for the country.
Versatile Marco van Staden will start in the scrum base, while Paul de Villiers and Elraig Low will play on the flanks. Erasmus stated: 'We would like Jasper to start, but frankly, we feel we need some reliability on the bench.'
He continued: 'Usually, we try to have a player like him start, but we feel that with the squad we have selected here, we might be able to get an impetus early in the game, and everything will go well. We are quite confident that the players who start will be full of energy. Some of them haven't played for a long time, and as you rightly said, there might be some issues with combinations.'
'His agreement to play as a substitute is already a sign. We all know what a guy Jasper is. He actually speaks more than he used to. He has truly become a great leader in our team. A guy who used to never speak, in the last three years, when he speaks, he says sensible things. He was also a captain option and considered as such.'
'But then we felt we needed him on the bench. If the situation gets a little tense, he is a good guy to fix it for us. We are very proud of him for reaching 50. We would like to start him, but he agreed himself that playing as a substitute will be best for us in this game.'
Now, instead of leading the charge from the very beginning, as he always does after the first whistle, Wiese will be tasked with bringing fresh energy and physical strength when he comes into the game. Since the Wallabies expect to test a heavily changed Boks side, Erasmus hopes his experienced number 8 can make an impact again when it matters.