Teams must feel intimidated when they come to Loftus Versfeld, says Bulls’ Cobus Wiese ahead of Stormers clash

It is still somewhat puzzling to see a true-blue Western Province and Stormers man like Cobus Wiese playing for the Bulls — but the man himself is having the time of his life in Pretoria.

Although born and raised in Upington, Wiese moved to the Cape after school and quickly rose through the ranks into the Stormers team, establishing himself as a dynamic blindside flanker.

He was also part of a top-class squad featuring Springboks such as Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit, but when Covid turned everything upside down, Wiese moved north to join Sale Sharks in Manchester. After enjoying four fruitful seasons at the English club, the 27-year-old wanted to come home—and, surprisingly, chose Pretoria and the Bulls.

“I never thought I would adapt in Pretoria. I think there is a certain stigma around Pretoria, or Gauteng. I come from the Cape, then England — but we are living unbelievably lekker and are enjoying our time a lot. To our surprise, it exceeded our expectations!” Wiese said, ahead of Saturday's United Rugby Championship clash against the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld (kick-off 5pm).

“We were away from family for four years, and believe it or not, Pretoria is actually closer to home (Upington) than the Cape.

"For us, it was just about coming home. We joined the Bulls and felt like we had been here for many years. We felt right at home, and Pretoria is an easy city to live in.

“We are closer to family, and the weather is better! I said to someone today that when you’ve only been home twice in four years, Pretoria and Upington feel like a stone’s throw away."

Saturday won’t be the first time Wiese takes on the Stormers. He produced a trademark busy performance in the Bulls' 33-32 victory in Cape Town a few weeks ago and even scored an early try.

His consistent form has earned him an invite to the Springbok alignment camp in Cape Town next week — an opportunity for which he feels “really privileged and grateful to be selected.” Another eye-catching display against the Stormers this weekend can only improve his chances of playing in a Test this year and emulating his brother Jasper as a Bok.

“I expect a lot of people ... I hope to see Loftus jam-packed,” Wiese said.

“For us as a team, it’s important to rebuild Loftus’ reputation. I think we may have let Loftus down a bit in the last few weeks.

"It was a good win (31-19 over the Lions) last weekend, but I feel that teams must feel intimidated when they come to Loftus.

“It’s our duty not only to play well but to bring that extra little bit at home. It’s not that we’re not giving our best, but for home games, teams must really know that we are up for it.

“It’s not about the personal competition. It’s not Wilco (Louw) against Frans (Malherbe); it’s us against the Stormers. We will focus on going into the match as a team and working hard for each other.

"The Bulls are a side that plays exciting rugby, which requires more running. So, I definitely worked hard on my conditioning — dropping a bit of weight, especially now that I’m playing a few games at seven and four.

“If you want to be a utility forward, you’ve got to be mobile enough to do that. Again, it’s about bettering yourself in the small things — line-out detail, being quicker on your jumps, and getting off the floor faster.”