Powerhouse Bulls front rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels is certainly not unfamiliar to the Springbok set up, having already featured in three Tests last year, but every sign now points towards many more internationals ahead.
The powerful prop – who can also play hooker – recently caught the eye once again as the Bulls claimed a comfortable win over Bayonne to progress to the Challenge Cup last eight, while on Friday night he delivered a stunning Man of the Match performance against Glasgow in the URC.
Weighing in at around 120kg, while standing over 1.90m tall, Wessels continues to make a massive impression with his mobility and work rate.
Following the retirement of Steven Kitshoff, there may be some sense in Wessels beginning to focus more on the loosehead position, but then the Springbok coaches may also see great value in his potential to serve as a successor to Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx.
Either way, there is every indication that the Springboks will be able to deploy a weapon of mass destruction in Wessels, who is a breakthrough star on the rise.
“He’s just been nicknamed Os du Randt,” Bulls Jake White said at the post-match press conference, referencing Wessels’ similarities to the legendary former two-time World Cup winner.
“I don’t know what the reason is but it’s reminiscent of the days when I was lucky enough to coach Os.
“Jan-Hendrik was a lock at school and then a prop at school, then he was a hooker and then he adapted to become a prop again. It just makes our squad so much stronger. He epitomised our back-to-back efforts [against Munster and Glasgow] because his back-to-back efforts were outstanding.”
JAN-HENDRIK WESSELS WILL HOPE TO PLAY REGULARLY FOR THE SPRINGBOKS THIS SEASON:
TBC: vs Barbarians, TBC, TBC
5 July: vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
12 July: vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
19 July: vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland
13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington
27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban
4 October: vs Argentina, London
1 November: vs Wales, Cardiff
8 November: vs France, Paris
15 November: vs Italy, Turin
22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin
*SA Rugby are working on adding two more Tests for the Springboks, likely to be against Japan and Portugal
HOW MANY TESTS DO YOU THINK THE BOKS WILL WIN?
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