Wiese shows against All Blacks he’s the real deal, but key Boks need to up their game

The Springboks losing to the All Blacks at Ellis Park last weekend was a massive let-down. For me it was a big opportunity lost.

The Boks played so well, and were so dominant, in Mbombela, that they had the chance to properly bury the arch-enemy at Ellis Park, but they didn’t give themselves a chance.

Honestly, it’s not as if the All Blacks were particularly good; the Boks just weren’t great at all. They didn’t fire like they did in Mbombela.

Where our strong defence was a standout feature in the first Test, it was one of the weak points in the second Test. There were too many missed tackles and that allowed the All Blacks to get momentum and confidence — two key ingredients for success.

The Boks were their own worst enemy at Ellis Park.

Looking back at the two matches, the Boks probably played at a combined potential of 60%, which is not good enough, and that’s why the All Blacks were able to win at Ellis Park.

Jacques Nienaber and his coaching team simply have to get the team up to 90% each and every time, because the Boks have shown when they fire on all cylinders they are virtually unbeatable. But it’s about firing each and every time that is key.

Jasper Wiese

Regarding the newer players, I thought the one guy to really enhance his reputation over the two Tests was Jasper Wiese.

There were many questions about him going into the Rugby Championship, but he showed he can mix it up with the best and over the two Tests he really played well. It’ll take a brave man to not pick him at 8 against the Wallabies.

Jaden Hendrikse also did well, but I’d love to see him add some of his own spark to the No 9 position rather than just follow instructions. He’s a smart player with some X-factor, but we’ve yet to see it.

Sadly Joseph Dweba didn’t have a good day at Ellis Park and he’ll be desperate for a chance to make up for it. The big thing for him is to make sure he finds his lineout jumpers; that’s his main function and every hooker has to nail this part of the job.

Kurt-Lee Arendse, while he only played the one game, is also a future star Bok.

Vermeulen and De Allende

The two more established players who’ll have to raise their game are Duane Vermeulen and Damian de Allende.

The Ellis Park game was Vermeulen’s first in a long time after the No 8 recovered from injury and he’ll get better in time, but he’s going to have to find his A-game quickly. In fact, the whole loose-trio that started at Ellis Park will need to fire soon because they haven’t been great, and there are quality young players eager to make the team and get a chance.

De Allende, too, is so much better than what we’ve seen against the All Blacks and he’ll have to show his class against the Wallabies or it’ll be time to give Andre Esterhuizen a run.

With all four Rugby Championship teams having won one and lost one so far, a very interesting competition lies ahead.