“They Don’t Throw Me Into The Deep End” — Wessels Unpacks Rassie’ Master Plan
Jan-Hendrik Wessels says the Springboks’ coaching staff have made his transition between loosehead prop and hooker as seamless as possible, with the young forward embracing the challenge of becoming one of the squad’s most versatile front-row players.
The 25-year-old has emerged as a valuable asset for Rassie Erasmus’ side, capable of covering both positions at the highest level. He credits the Springbok coaches’ meticulous preparation for giving him the confidence to switch roles whenever required.
“Training-wise they prepare me really well,” Wessels explained.
“Scrum-wise and with the line-outs, Joe helps me, Jerry helps me, coach Daan helps, and coach Deon helps. They don’t throw me into the deep end.”
Previous Springbok utility forwards like Schalk Brits played at hooker and loose forward at RWC 2019 and Deon Fourie (who famously filled in at hooker in the 2023 World Cup Final), proving this is a hallmark of Erasmus’ tournament strategy.
Rather than dividing his attention between the two positions during the week, Wessels said his preparation is tailored to the role he is expected to play on matchday.
“If I am playing loosehead, I’ll train the entire week at loosehead. Most of my games for the Bulls were at loosehead, and it’s the same with hooker,” said Wessels, who scored a try on his Test debut against Portugal in Bloemfontein (July 2024), starting at hooker—making him one of the few modern Boks to score on international debut in the front row.
That preparation has already paid dividends in Test rugby. Wessels revealed that he came on at loosehead against England, while in the Springboks’ victory over Scotland he was initially introduced as a prop before later switching to hooker.
“In the Scotland game, I came 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.”
Far from viewing the dual role as a burden, Wessels has embraced the responsibility.
“I quite enjoy it. The whole management and coaching staff make it comfortable through the week so that I’m prepared on a Saturday.”
His versatility forms part of a broader trend within the Springbok squad, where several forwards are being developed to cover multiple front-row positions. Fellow forward Marco van Staden has also trained at hooker, while Thomas du Toit has even been practising his line-out throwing.
Wessels believes that flexibility could prove invaluable during the unpredictable nature of Test rugby.
“I always tease the loose forwards that if they get too slow, they’ll move to hooker,” he joked.
“It always helps if something happens at hooker and you’ve got another guy who can throw in at the line-outs.”
The Bulls star said the Springboks are thinking well beyond conventional positional roles.
“They think very far ahead. Marco and I have scrummed together in the last few games for the Bulls as well. I think there are a lot of people in the setup who can play hooker at the moment.”
With the Springboks continuing to prioritise versatility throughout the squad, Wessels’ ability to seamlessly switch between loosehead prop and hooker has made him an increasingly valuable member of Erasmus’ evolving front-row arsenal.
