Springboks look to fill the void after Jasper Wiese receives hefty ban

Wiese was handed the ban following the red card he received in his final appearance for Leicester Tigers in their Premiership match against Exeter last week.

In the 67th minute of the clash against the Chiefs, Wiese lifted Exeter forward Ross Vintcent up at a breakdown and dropped him the ground. He was shown a red card by referee Karl Dickson, bringing his Leicester Tigers career to an unfortunate end ahead of his reported move to Japan.

The RFU have since announced the outcome of his disciplinary hearing, with an independent panel deeming that Wiese's actions met the red card threshold and warranted a low-end entry point of six weeks.

Wiese accepted that he had a committed the act of foul play and the panel added that he conducted himself well while he showed remorse and apologised. However, he was granted no mitigation due to having received three red cards previously.

While he can still appeal the decision, Wiese looks set to miss the upcoming July internationals against Wales, Ireland and Portugal, as well as the two Rugby Championship games against Australia in August.

Luckily for Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus, he has several options at his disposal, creating an interesting selection headache in the weeks and months to come.

While Bok legend Duane Vermeulen is no longer around, in-form Stormers star Evan Roos is, while regular Bomb Squad member Kwagga Smith could certainly make the step up to the starting side as well.

Another capped Springbok who will fancy his chances to fill the void is Bulls star Elrigh Louw, who has enjoyed a stellar run of form in the United Rugby Championship this season, while teammate and breakout star Cameron Hanekom is another exciting prospect, having already been invited to the Boks' recent alignment camp.  

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