Wiese will start at the back of the scrum on Saturday in the first Test at Loftus Versfeld. The other contenders for the role are Elrigh Louw of the Bulls and Evan Roos of the Stormers.

Louw cracked the nod ahead of Roos to play on the bench and he is also on debut.

The former Cheetah, Wiese, said that Louw and Roos’ good form just motivate him even more.

“You have to evolve as a player if you want to stay ahead of the competition," says Wiese.

“If you're going to get stuck in the same spot, you're going to find it difficult with all the other players emerging, and struggle to stay in the group.

“I feel I've become a better player and I hope I show it on the field. It's been a tough journey, but you learn a lot from all of the guys that cross your path.

“There's great quality in this group and there's great competition.

“Evan and Elrigh are both excellent players. But you want to make that jersey your own. So it's really just about trying to do my best for the team.”

Saturday’s Test in Pretoria kicks off at 17:05.

Springboks – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nché.

Replacements – 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Willie le Roux.

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport