- Springbok number eight Jasper Wiese said he's learning a lot from the experienced Duane Vermeulen.
- Vermeulen is recovering from an ankle injury and even though he hasn't played - he is part of the Bok camp.
- On Saturday, Wiese won the man-of-the-match award for his role in the Boks' 32-12 win against Argentina in Gqeberha.
Springbok number eight Jasper Wiese is aware that he's holding a place for the injured Duane Vermeulen, but is making the most of his opportunity.
Having made his Test debut against Georgia last month, he was thrown into the deep end when he started the second British & Irish Lions Test.
He came through that experience and was far better in the third Test the Boks won to claim the series.
Faced with the excellence of Rodrigo Bruni as his opposite number eight while Pablo Matera and Facundo Isa were the other world-class loosies the Pumas called on.
In Saturday's 32-12 win at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, he got the better of them in his man-of-the-match performance.
Wiese, though, credited Vermeulen for his off-the-field selflessness.
"You take confidence from him teaching you stuff and when he talks to you at training sessions and when he helps you," Wiese said.
"Although it's very big boots to fill, you can never know if you're ready to fill them. The experience that he brings to the squad when he plays again will be massive.
"It's not about himself and when he plays, he puts the team first. He helps the guys even though he's not playing.
"I really have a lot of respect for him doing that and I don't think any guy can fill his shoes to be honest."
"All I can do is to try my best and do everything."
Wiese also credited his teammates in helping adjust to the rigours of Test match rugby.
With Kwagga Smith and Siya Kolisi happy to get their hands dirty, Wiese was allowed to ask the necessary ball-carrying questions.
"Even though I got the man-of-the-match performance, it was a team effort and I wouldn't have been able to achieve that without the guys next to me," Wiese said.
"It is important that you have to put the team first. At the end of the day, it's doing everything as best as you can.
"It's not about the individual. It's about playing for something much bigger than yourself and the guys in the camp."