Springboks have learned from Wallabies defeat – Jasper Wiese

Eighthman Jasper Wiese believes the Springboks learn more from their defeats than victories. The Springboks will neither be complacent against Italy nor allow the same mistakes that occurred in their defeat to the Wallabies to resurface when they face the Azzurri in Turin on Saturday (kick-off 1.40pm), said eighthman Jasper Wiese. The national side return to the Nations Championship for matches against Italy, France, Ireland, and a finals weekend, after a 42-38 defeat to Australia in Perth at the end of September. There, a slew of Springbok errors allowed the Wallabies to surge to 42-17 before four Australian yellow cards late in the game allowed the visitors to wrestle momentum back and score two converted tries in the final minutes. Head coach Rassie Erasmus said the match provided “valuable experience” for the Springboks ahead of next year’s World Cup in Australia, with the expectation that the same sides will meet in a knockout. It was Wiese’s 50th Test match for South Africa. Springboks regroup for Italy Speaking on Wednesday, the No 8 said when he was young he never thought he’d reach the milestone. “If the game was five minutes longer, people would have said it was the best game of rugby ever played,” he said, alluding to a potential Springbok win. “The milestone was special, but every game is special. It’s a privilege to play.” Rather than dwell on what could have been, Wiese said he was grateful for every opportunity to represent his country. He said the Springboks “learned greater lessons from a defeat than a win”, and have made plans to not let the same mistakes happen again. And while Italy are missing some key players, Wiese assured the media the Springboks would not be complacent. A full-strength team was selected even though a handful of 19- and 20-year-olds were in the squad. Wiese said none of the experienced Springboks were surprised by their selection or took it for granted. “Everyone wants to play in every game… I wasn’t surprised. I’m certainly glad to be playing. I don’t think everyone is surprised to play,” Wiese said. “I think everyone in the group is good enough to play on any given day against any team. So we’re excited to play.”