VIDEO: 'I think he is keen' - Duane set for Stormers return
SPOTLIGHT: Head coach John Dobson says Duane Vermeulen is keen on joining the Stormers as a coach.
The Bok legend recently announced his retirement from the game after helping the Springboks win back-to-back World Cup titles.
The logical next step for Vermeulen is coaching and he has been spotted in the Boks’ coaching box on a few occasions in the last couple of seasons when he was not selected to play.
The former No.8 is seen by many as a successor to Jacques Nienaber as a defence coach for the Boks and he could take those first steps in Cape Town with the Stormers.
Dobson confirmed that he has had some discussions with Vermeulen over a coaching role.
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“As we know, he [Vermeulen] is technically outstanding,” said Dobson.
“He acted as a player and a coach at Ulster and I suspect very much at the Springboks. I don’t know if he is going to be involved there. I am just hearing the odd talk.
“We started talking to him last year about his retirement and he was keen to stay in Cape Town.
“We reached an idea where he could sort of look after our forwards in the pathways, which is very important.
“If we need him up here to help with breakdowns or something like that then it would be great.”
Dobson said some financial issues still need to be ironed out before Vermeulen joins and that involved Western Province’s new equity deal.
“We are actually in this curious twilight area where the equity ownership has been approved by the clubs but it is not through the final processes yet in terms of actually signing it and going through the competition commission,” Dobson explained.
“We are still under full administration. The [Red Disa] consortium doesn’t have control but they also need insight or input on what we spend over this period.
“We can’t laden them with all sorts of spending that they are going to have to pay for when they do take over.
“We will see how Duane fits in and I think he is keen to come and we are keen to have him, but it still does need some movement off the field if you know what I mean. To understand how it is going to work and in terms of budgets.
“What I like very much about our new owners is that we are not going to go down the ‘Galactico’ route.
“Western Province rugby needs to be sustainable. It can’t be a bottomless pit. There is a will from everybody to have him [Vermeulen] involved and I think he is keen and hopefully, we can have it wrapped up in the next couple of weeks.”
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