VIDEO: THORmeulen more than just brute force
WATCH as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus explains the real value of a veteran like Duane Vermeulen.
Many pundits questioned whether Vermeulen still has the appetite for Test rugby.
However, the first two Tests against England – a 42-39 win in Johannesburg and a 23-12 victory in Bloemfontein – showed that he has lost none of the drive that first made him a Bok star.
The stats will show that Vermeulen was a monster with ball in hand, made bucketloads of tackles and won turnovers.
That only tells part of the story, according to Erasmus.
“I knew Duane [Vermeulen] would always bring experience,” the Bok coach said, when asked about the 31-year-old loose forward.
“Willie [Le Roux] also bring experience.
“The guys who play in the Northern Hemisphere and have more than just a few Test caps will always bring steadiness, but Duane is bringing some accurate rugby on the field, which is very pleasing.
“He is fit, he is sharp, he is running great lines, he is a wonderful defender, he is over the ball.
“He [Vermeulen] and Siya [Kolisi] works closely with other guys, like Beast [Tendai Mtawarira] on the game plan and the decision-making.
“Sometimes you get guys who contribute a lot off the field in a leadership role, but his contribution on the field is phenomenal.
“We are very blessed to have guys like that, who are so committed to the cause.”
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Erasmus said the decision to treat the players like ‘adults’ is helping them to stay more composed under pressure.
They came back from 3-24 down in the first Test to win 41-39 and were 0-12 in the second Test, before winning 23012.
“The more we treat players like adults off the field, they will act like adults on the field,” Erasmus said.
“We don’t have a lot of rules off the field, but our motto is ‘use commonsense’.
“In the first two Tests, we only conceded five and seven penalties, 12 penalties in two matches.
“It is great when the guys bring their discipline from off the field onto the field.”
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