Jan-Hendrik Wessels insists there is no added pressure in juggling the demanding roles of loosehead prop and hooker for the Springboks, crediting the national coaches for ensuring he is fully prepared regardless of where he is needed.
The versatile 24-year-old once again showcased his value in Saturday night’s 43-0 Nations Championship victory over Wales at Kings Park, coming off the bench to bolster an already dominant Springbok pack.
With South Africa blessed with enviable depth across the front row, Wessels has become a valuable utility option capable of covering two specialist positions – a role he says has been made much easier by the coaching staff’s meticulous planning. He acknowledged the role technical analyst Joe Lewis, defence coach Jerry Flannery, forwards coach Deon Davids, and scrum coach Daan Human have played in this regard.
“I think training-wise they prepare me really well,” Wessels said after the match.
“Scrum-wise and with the line-outs, Joe helps me, Jerry helps me, coach Daan Human and coach Deon Davids. They don’t throw me into the deep end.
“Like this week I was playing loosehead, so I trained the whole week at loosehead. Most of my games at the Bulls have been at loosehead as well.”
His appearances this season have varied depending on the opposition and match situation, but Wessels said there is always a clear plan before kick-off.
“The England game I didn’t play hooker, so I went on at loosehead. The Scotland game I went on at prop first, maybe just to calm the nerves a bit and get comfortable with the tempo of the game before moving to hooker later,” he said.
“I actually enjoy it. The whole management and coaching staff make it comfortable during the week so that I’m prepared on Saturday.”
Wessels joked that there is fierce competition across the Springbok front row, quipping that he often teases the loosehead props that if they slow down, they’ll have to switch to hooker. Behind the humour, however, lies an appreciation of the squad’s remarkable depth.
“I think it always helps because if something happens at hooker you’ve got someone who can step in. There are a lot of guys who can play multiple positions at the moment.”
The Springbok scrum again laid the platform against Wales, with the starting front row of Gerhard Steenekamp, Malcolm Marx and Carlu Sadie earning early penalties before the replacements maintained the pressure. For Wessels, matching the standards set by the starters has become a source of motivation.
“We always pride ourselves on our scrums. The biggest part of our game is putting pressure on the opposition and giving our backs good ball,” he said.
“The front row that starts sets a great standard for us coming off the bench. It motivates us because we don’t want to let the team down after seeing what they have done before us. It makes us even more excited when we get the opportunity to go on.”
The Bulls forward also praised debutant flyhalf Vusi Moyo for handling the occasion with maturity, saying the youngster benefited from having experienced midfielders Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel alongside him.
“I think he controlled the game really well. He had very experienced players outside him in Damian and Jesse, and they helped him a lot during the week. I’m really happy for him. It’s his first Springbok game and he can learn from it and take it further,” he said.
