Jasper Wiese was remorseful after his red card but proud to see his brother Cobus make his Springbok debut.
Brothers Jasper and Cobus Wiese struggled to find their words after becoming the 37th pair of brothers to play for the Springboks during South Africa’s 45–0 victory over Italy in Gqeberha on Saturday.
Cobus, 28, made his debut for the national side, coming on as a replacement at lock in the second half. The joy the pair felt at his achievement stood in stark contrast to the remorse Jasper exhibited.
Wiese commends his team
The loose forward received a permanent red card after head-butting an opponent in the 21st minute. It left the Springboks a man short for about an hour, though they still completely outplayed the Italians to secure a whitewash victory.
It was an important win after the Springboks’ 42–24 victory in the first Test against Italy at Loftus the week before left much to be desired.
However, the pressure was still felt at times by the 14 men, and Jasper had to watch from the sidelines when his brother eventually took to the field at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“I know I let the team down,” Jasper said. “But well done to them for fighting that out. It’s not easy playing with 14 guys and they showed some grit today. But ja, just a silly moment from me.”
When asked about his brother’s debut, Jasper, who is one year his senior, was at a loss for words for a moment.
“This is… I don’t want to get too emotional, but it’s special for me. It’s a long time coming and I am really, really proud.”
Cobus, likewise emotional, thanked God for his opportunity to play. “It’s a dream come true to say the least,” he said. “An overwhelming sense of gratitude and pride is probably what sums it up the best.”
Sacha says the Springboks ticked their boxes
The sense of triumph felt by the Springboks and crowd in Gqeberha revealed just how important this one-sided win was after last week’s frustrating game.
Utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu said the team had done especially well to man up in the breakdown battle, an area the Boks struggled in in Pretoria.
“We ticked that box. They ended with no tries, no points, so I think the coach will be happy with that,” Feinberg-Mngomezulu said.
“To go down [a man] and stick to our structures, that was phenomenal. I think Manie [libbok], Grant [Williams] and Cobus [Reinach] did a great job at that.”