BRIEF BACKGROUND.
Jasper van der Westhuizen Wiese is a South African rugby player born on 21 October 1995, in Upington, South Africa. The 28-year-old rugby player, stands at an impressive height of 189 centimeters and weighs 122 kilograms. Jasper has predominantly played in the back row position as an eighth man and occasionally as an openside flanker in a few games. He has an older brother called Cobus Wiese and is married.
YOUTH CAREER.
He attended Upington High school and also played rugby for this school. In 2011 he played for the Griquas Country District until 2013. Wiese was included in the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week squad in 2011, featuring in all three matches and scoring three tries, making him the second top try scorer. He then proceeded to the Under-18 Craven Week, scoring three tries in three starts again. In 2013, Wiese returned to the Under-18 Craven Week, maintaining consistency by starting in all three matches and scoring two tries.
AMATEUR CAREER
Wiese relocated to Bloemfontein and joined the Free State Cheetahs Academy and the Central University of Technology Ixias team. He was featured in several matches for the institution. Wiese appeared in the 2014 Varsity Shield tournament and also played for the Free State U19 team in the Provincial Championship.
Despite not being selected for the country’s Under-20 squad trials, he remained dedicated and later on joined the Free State U21 team, where he excelled as a flanker, finishing as the third-highest try scorer in the competition. Jasper then made seven appearances in the Varsity Cup in 2016, and he made significant contributions to his team before joining the Free State XV.
SENIOR CAREER.
At the close of 2016, Wiese was conscripted in the Cheetahs Super Rugby team’s training group for the following season. Simultaneously, it was revealed that he would switch to the Griffons, located in Welkom, following the conclusion of the Varsity tournament with Ixias University.
In 2020, Wiese announced his switch to England, UK, signing with Leicester Tigers. His Leicester debut was against Gloucester, just four days after meeting his new teammates. Jasper’s performances earned him recognition, being named Man of the Match against Bath in January 2021. However, his journey also saw challenges, as he received a four-week ban for a dangerous ruck clear-out incident against Wasps in February 2021.
Jasper Wiese received a call-up to the Springboks squad for the test series against the British and Irish Lions in June 2021. He made his international debut against Georgia in July of the same year. In the 2022 Premiership final, he scored the second try in Leicester’s 15-12 win against Saracens and was named as Man of the Match.
The superstar was also awarded the prominent title of Rugby Players Association Players’ Player of the Year. This was for his outstanding contributions to Leicester Tigers during the 2022–23 season. In 2023, Wiese was named to the Springbok’s World Cup squad and listed in the starting XV for the Boks opening match. This pivotal game took place at Stade De Velodrome in Marseille, France, on September 10, 2023.
RECENTLY.
Jasper Wiese is set to leave Leicester at the end of the 2023/24 season, as it is claimed that the South African World Cup champion declined an offer from the Tigers. Instead, he opted for a lucrative opportunity to ply his trade in Japan.