Cobus Wiese steps in at No 8 as Springboks experiment with new front row against Georgia

The Springboks have rolled the dice with an uncapped front row and an experimental selection of Cobus Wiese at eighth man as they have one more match against Georgia on Saturday to try players in certain positions ahead of the Rugby Championship.

Wiese will take over the role his brother, Jasper, played on Saturday for about 22 minutes before he was red-carded. Usually, Erasmus would have at least one experienced front-rower mixed with youngsters, but he took a calculated risk in handing tighthead Neethling Fouché, loosehead Boan Venter, and hooker Marnus van der Merwe their debuts in a much-changed matchday squad.

They will have the experience of Eben Etzebeth behind them, with the centurion lock joined by Pieter-Steph du Toit and returning captain Siya Kolisi among the forwards. Kolisi is finally 100% after missing the first three matches of the season.

On the selection of Wiese as the eighth man, Erasmus said they are excited to see how he goes there.

“We want to see how a guy like Cobus goes at No 8, we think he has potential there,” Erasmus said on Tuesday.

“There is a good feeling about him in that role. He is another lineout option. With him selected, it doesn’t mean that the door is closed for someone like Evan Roos. He has had nine caps for us, and he trains very well, but we want to ensure we have options there. Elrigh (Louw) is out injured, and Jasper (Wiese) is now suspended again.

“It is still a long season, and after four matches, the door is not shut for anybody.”

Erasmus is excited about how the new front row will perform on Saturday but has selected Test-experienced scrummagers Vincent Koch, Thomas du Toit, and hooker Bongi Mbonambi on the bench as an insurance policy.

However, Fouché and Van der Merwe demonstrated their mettle against the Barbarians at the start of the season, and Venter will be eager to play for his country for the first time.

“We have proper locks and loose forwards behind them. I guess it is a bit of a balancing act, throwing in some rookies against a team that is like us and enjoys scrumming. The three guys starting will need the back five to ensure they do okay. There is no better Test to do it than in this game.

“It was tempting to push Siya one week early, but now we feel it was the right decision (to hold him back). We did fairly well against Italy, where we did not in the first Test. This time around, we controlled it better.

“We now have a Siya who is 100% fit. It is always nice to have him back; he is our captain. I am glad the people in Mbombela can see him play.”

On what they expect from Georgia, the coach says they won’t underestimate their opponents.

He also does not have to motivate his team for this clash, even if they are playing against a Tier-2 Nation. The Boks have some more boxes they need to tick ahead of the season, and that is what they will focus on.

“Georgia is a tough outfit, and they pride themselves on their physicality and brute force in the collisions, so the set pieces, mauls, and breakdowns will be key areas. That is why we are playing this front row.

“We want to give them a big test. But with the experienced guys around, we are not throwing them to the wolves”

Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Cobus Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Boan Venter. Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Damian Willemse.