Wiese warns wounded All Blacks are coming for the Boks in Baltimore
The smiles may have been missing at 30,000 feet, but the message from the Springbok camp was crystal clear: the All Blacks are coming to Baltimore angry, desperate and armed for war.
After three bruising Tests in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, Springbok No 8 Jasper Wiese revealed there was precious little small talk when the two arch-rivals shared a charter flight to the United States.
“I don’t think there was a lot of chat,” Wiese said with a grin that could have been hiding a few secrets.
“Maybe I was at the back of the plane, so I wasn’t talking to any of them. But you can think how they feel on that flight and it would have been vice versa if we were in their position.
“How desperate they’re going to be in this last game. So yeah, I think that’s something that we know is coming.
“I don’t think it was too friendly on that flight, but we know how much it means to them as well. It’s not just us that’s in the competition, it’s them as well. And I think they’re going to come out guns blazing this weekend.”
That is the warning siren the Boks needed.
The All Blacks arrive at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore with their backs against the wall, while South Africa have the psychological upper hand after losing the Ellis Park Test 33-16, the Springboks took control of the series with victories at DHL Stadium (33-26) in Cape Town and at the FNB Stadium (29-24) in Soweto .
Wiese knows better than most that wounded All Blacks can bite like cornered lions.
And his body knows it too.
The hard-running Leicester Tigers No 8 has made around 38 carries across the three Tests, averaging 12 to 13 collisions a match, often charging straight into the teeth of New Zealand’s defence.
“Obviously, the body’s always sore after the game,” he admitted.
“I have to, if I’m honest, after the game, always sore, but take a few pain pills on the Sunday and get the body going again on the Monday and then we rinse and repeat the week again.”
That is the glamorous reality behind the green-and-gold machine: pain, recovery, repetition and another collision.
Wiese says the physical contest remains his favourite part of playing No 8.
“Sometimes you’re getting dominated and sometimes you dominate. You’re not going to win every contact point,” he said. “But I think that is the nicest part of playing rugby for me.”
Springbok forward coach Deon Davids believes that mentality epitomises what Wiese brings to the team.
“Jasper, for me, epitomises what the Springbok is about,” Davids said.
“He has grown in terms of his own game, also in terms of his ability to lead in the team and now share his experience with the youngsters coming in.”
Davids praised Wiese’s “physicality” with ball in hand and without it, highlighting his work at the breakdown, in the maul and scrum.
“He’s a massive part of the team going forward,” Davids said.
There is another secret ingredient in this Bok pack: relentless preparation.
Davids says the set piece, once a workbench of experimentation, is becoming a polished weapon.
“The hard work that have been put into the scrums, the hard work that have been put into our lineouts and to our mauling is starting to show now,” he said.
Against New Zealand’s relentless pressure and difficult Cape Town conditions, the Boks achieved 100% success in their lineouts, despite winds swirling across the stadium.
Davids credited the hookers and jumpers for reading the conditions and executing under pressure.
“We’re just glad that it worked for us,” he said.
The Bok blueprint is brutally simple: build the platform, win the collision, dominate the set piece and unleash the backs.
Wiese also revealed how deeply the current squad has bonded.
“There’s a genuine connection with guys, trying to get each other better,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who plays on the weekend. Obviously, if you’re not named, you’re a bit disappointed, but you get over it and you try and prepare the guy next that’s playing as best as you can.”
That is the muscle beneath the muscle.
Wiese also credited former Bok great Duane Vermeulen‘s influence from the sideline, praising the value of having an experienced former Test No 8 offering pointers during matches.
“He knows it a bit and can give you pointers as the game goes on,” Wiese said.
Now America gets to see the final act.
Wiese insists winning Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry would rank alongside the biggest achievements of his career.
“For this group to achieve something special, I mean, not just the players, the coaches, everybody, I think that would be very special for us,” he said.
And after that frosty flight across the Atlantic, Baltimore may need more than a scoreboard.
It may need a fire extinguisher.
The Boks have the lead.
The All Blacks have the rage.
Saturday will decide who owns the rivalry.
