Vermeulen: 'It’s altitude, but if you take away the L, it’s attitude'
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok assistant coach Duane Vermeulen shared his thoughts on the North-South United Rugby Championship derby between the Bulls and Stormers at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The rescheduled Round Eight fixture, which was originally set to take place in December 2025, carries a steep history across all competitions dating back to the Currie Cup.
The rivalry was born when Northern Transvaal (Bulls) defeated Western Province (Stormers) in their first meeting in the 1946 Currie Cup Final.
In recent times, the Stormers have won three of their four visits to Pretoria in the URC, with the Bulls clinching a solitary victory in 2024.
Vermeulen is convinced that this Saturday’s sold-out URC derby between the arch rivals will be one for the history books – especially after the recent Springbok alignment camp.
With the camp still fresh in so many players’ minds, Vermeulen thinks Loftus will be a stage where players will want to show the Bok selectors they understand what’s expected of them.
“After the Springbok alignment camp we had last week, I think the players are ready to fire. They’ve got some feedback from the coaches on what we want to see as a coaching staff at the Springboks.
“The players know exactly what the coaches want from them. So I think this weekend, you’ll see a lot more from the players as they try to perfect their craft.
“That’s a big thing because there are always spots up for grabs in the Springboks. It’s not a definite that you’ll be in the Bok mix if you were invited to the alignment camp.
“That was just to tell them what the coaches are looking for, and hopefully the players can change their mindset and attitude to the game accordingly if they need to,” says Vermeulen.
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With the Stormers looking vulnerable of late and the Bulls showing signs of finding their feet under new coach Johan Ackermann, the Pretoria outfit should be favourites for this encounter, especially playing at Loftus.
Having said that, the Stormers have found a way to beat the Bulls at Loftus on some key occasions in this competition.
“We saw in the past couple of games of the Stormers that something isn’t gelling. I don’t know what that is. But they’ve got class players, and if they can work together than can definitely upset teams.
“With the Bulls, they struggled with a new coach, but they seem to have found their way. The last couple of games, it’s been good to see how they play as a collective.
“They’ve also become accustomed to what Johan [Ackermann] wants to achieve. It seems like they’re very aligned, while the Stormers are missing their mark a little bit.
“But you never know. The North-South Derby is always difficult to call. You can’t rely on previous form. You need to focus on the day.
“This is always a big crunch game for these teams. I’ve been on both sides, and on the winning and losing side. It’s a tough battle for sure.
“You go up to Loftus, where altitude does play its part. Everyone goes there and says, ‘Sure, it’s altitude, but if you take away the L, it’s attitude’.
“But I was with the Stormers for seven years, and it was always difficult to play at Loftus. That has changed over the past few years, and the Stormers have been very successful there.
“The Bulls still see it as their fortress, though. I enjoyed both teams when I played in this derby. You give 100 percent because that’s your team for this derby.”
