Demolition man
16 Jun 2011
JON CARDINELLI, writing in SA Rugby magazine, says no South African No 8 ticks as many boxes as Duane Vermeulen.
Ask Duane Vermeulen to explain his affinity for the rougher side of the game, and a manic grin spreads across his moon-shaped face. His hands transform into forget-me-nots as he extols the virtues of defence and physicality as a teenager would the qualities of an unrequited love.
‘I love defence,’ he begins. ‘I love the tackle situation. I love the physical side of rugby.’
Vermeulen stops short of saying physicality gives him goosebumps, a favourite refrain of the legendary Springbok enforcer Bakkies Botha. But the message is clear: Vermeulen is obsessed. He wants to hurt the opposition and it’s his controlled aggression that makes him such an asset.
The Stormers have been reluctant to rest the robust No 8 over the past two seasons. He played every match in the 2010 Super 14 and Currie Cup, and has, at the time of writing, played every minute for the Stormers in 2011. The Cape side has developed an abrasive reputation since Rassie Erasmus joined the franchise in 2008, and more often than not, Vermeulen has been their demolition man; their physical constituent that inflicts the most damage on opponents.
The Stormers could achieve nothing else this season and two monumental victories would still go down in history. They first outmuscled South Africa’s quintessential he-men in Pretoria before overpowering the trend-setting Sharks in Durban. In both fixtures, Vermeulen was a monster on a mission, and the image of him manhandling Bismarck du Plessis, the Sharks’ talisman and enforcer, captured his essence. Vermeulen stands out in the big contests because he doesn’t stand back for anyone. Reputations be damned.
Peter de Villiers acknowledged Vermeulen’s game-winning potential when he invited him to the initial Springbok training camp in 2008. Unfortunately for Vermeulen, a neck injury prevented him from getting his chance against Wales and Italy. It was to be the last time he would be seriously considered for Springbok selection.
‘Duane is the unluckiest player in the country,’ De Villiers told a media conference on 20 April. The Bok coach had named Vermeulen in a 51-man World Cup planning squad, but the size of the group as well as the explanation thereof hinted at ulterior motives.
‘He has played great rugby for three seasons, but hasn’t played a Test. He must know that he’s not far away. If other players are injured, he will come into consideration.’
De Villiers added that the selection of uncapped players like Vermeulen, Lionel Mapoe and Sarel Pretorius was part of a message aimed at the underperforming incumbents. The Bok coach wanted men like Pierre Spies to know that their World Cup positions were not necessarily guaranteed.
The Boks have lacked a good No 8 for some time. Spies hasn’t fulfilled his potential at national level, and despite the perennial promises to lift his physicality and address his defensive shortcomings, it’s clear that he’s not going to get any better.
Ryan Kankowski has been similarly disappointing. A gifted athlete with a thrilling turn of speed, he struggles when the opposition cuts down his space. Kankowski lacks the physical aspect needed to dominate a game where collisions decide the contest, and if he can’t rely on his agility, he rarely makes an impact.
If Spies and Kankowski are so obviously inadequate, it’s difficult to understand just what De Villiers hoped to achieve with his proposed message. The past three seasons have shown that when the game becomes combative, neither Spies nor Kankowski are capable of responding with the required attitude and vigour. They’re no longer bossing the Super Rugby playground either, as the 2011 competition has seen Vermeulen stepping to the fore virtually unchallenged.
The message De Villiers should have sent to his greater squad is that form will be rewarded, and that players can no longer survive on past reputations. Vermeulen is overdue a Test for the Boks, and it will be one of the great travesties of justice if he doesn’t go to the World Cup this September.
He needs to play in this year’s Tri-Nations, and he needs to be seriously considered as a contender for the starting back row. World Cups are won by the team with the best defence and the most physical pack, and on form, Vermeulen is a front-runner in both departments. South Africa doesn’t have another No 8 who ticks so many boxes.
‘The thing about Duane is that you have to study the match video to obtain a better understanding of his value,’ says Bok forwards coach Gary Gold. ‘Duane’s a strong ball-carrier and his defence is down to his size as much as his attitude. The contributions he makes over the course of a match are incredible. Every tackle and ball-carry has a high conversion rate; that is to say he has great stopping power on defence and makes good, momentum-getting ground on attack. He also has a low error rate which is absolutely essential at the highest level. He’s not the flashiest player on the planet, but often it’s players like Duane who are feared most by the opposition.’
Gold refuses to be drawn into a debate about team selection and whether Vermeulen is a better option than the Bok incumbents.The player himself is also circumspect when asked if he believes he’s been unfairly treated over the past three seasons.
‘It could have been different had I not picked up a neck injury before that training camp in 2008,’ he says with a good-natured laugh. ‘That cost me my chance. Every year I’ve hoped for another Springbok call-up, and it hasn’t come. So when you ask me about the Springboks, all I can say is that I’ve learnt not to get my hopes up.
‘Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a dream of mine to play for South Africa. Who would turn down the opportunity to play at the World Cup? But I can’t let that ambition consume me, because as I’ve said, my hopes could be dashed if I don’t get picked again. I really have to take it game by game and focus on winning the Super Rugby title with the Stormers.’
While De Villiers may not appreciate Vermeulen’s talents, the versatile loose forward is in demand. Irish club Munster are after his signature, but at the age of 24, he’s not ready to abandon his dreams of playing international rugby.
‘I’m not considering an overseas deal, as some reporters have suggested,’ he says. ‘I’m happy in Cape Town and proud of what we have built over the past three years.
‘I suppose I would like to know where I stand in the national set-up. I have the opportunity to change Peter de Villiers’s mind by playing well in this year’s Super Rugby competition, but I realise that if it doesn’t work out, there is still hope in 2012. The next Bok coach may decide he wants me in his plans, and then I don’t want the fact that I’m based overseas to count against me.’
A coach who recognises what Vermeulen can offer as a dominant player at the collision will not hesitate in handing the Stormers’ hard man his chance. It’s just a shame that a coach with the capacity to appreciate Vermeulen’s attributes is not currently in charge, and it’s a shame that such an oversight has the potential to compromise the Boks’ 2011 World Cup campaign.
Unlike Spies and Kankowski, Vermeulen offers as much grunt on defence as he does on attack. More than anything, he has the attitude and appetite for destruction that so often galvanises team-mates to similarly robust displays. It’s an attitude the Boks of 2010 were sadly missing, and an attitude the World Cup aspirants of 2011 cannot afford to be without.
– This article first appeared in the June issue of SA Rugby magazine. The July issue will be on sale from Wednesday, 22 June.
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23 Comments
15 Jun 2011, 06:08 am
Upright running Dragon!
15 Jun 2011, 06:19 am
He’s in my Bok team. A consistent performer who needs a break.
15 Jun 2011, 06:27 am
JON CARDINELLI, writing in SA Rugby magazine, says no South African No 8 ticks as many boxes as Duane Vermeulen.
Bah Jonny, how could you forget the ultmate human speciment Spies? The bully boys will have your balls for breakfast….
15 Jun 2011, 06:32 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-3:
hehe, fishing boet…….
15 Jun 2011, 06:37 am
@whatever(whatever)-4:
No really, I fear for his life!
15 Jun 2011, 06:52 am
Pakslae will cut him down to size. One dimensional cart horse…that is Duane. What happened to Duane owning Spies on Saturday?
15 Jun 2011, 07:15 am
If PDivvy has any wish to win this world cup he will try Duane and Ashley at no 8 during the Tri Nations – he knows what he has with Spies /kanko – also allows more test experience for these two players
15 Jun 2011, 07:18 am
I really don’t know what the fuss around this guy is.
15 Jun 2011, 07:20 am
Big fan, but……has been very quiet in the last few big games and that is worrying, I dnt c another option at 8, long shot is Johnson he’ll even Josh Strauss but no8 is our biggest worry for this squad
15 Jun 2011, 07:40 am
One of those boxes he ticks is apparently the pie-eating one.
15 Jun 2011, 08:13 am
Vermeulen is a good 8. He might not be as hyped as Spies and Kanko, but he is a grafter, and he is abrasive. Imho, we would be well served with Josh Strauss, Johnson, and Vermeulen playing 8. If I had a “magic lamp” I would merge Vermeulen with Spies!
Then we would have a gym bunny with aggression and mongrel. At the moment we have the gym bunny playing like a pansy! Kank is fast, and run’s good lines, but he is not the type of 8 that we need. Then rather get Big Joe here, he is also fast, and strong, but he has more mongrel than Kanko
Give guys like Vermeulen, and Strauss a run in the Tri- Nations
15 Jun 2011, 08:26 am
Ashley should be ahead this guy,johnson has not been found wanting. In. Any of the big games this year and his handling,running lines ,reading of the game is streaks ahead of any SA eightman at the moment.
16 Jun 2011, 06:36 am
“….across his moon-shaped face. His hands transform into forget-me-nots as he extols the virtues of defence and physicality as a teenager would the qualities of an unrequited love.”
Oh boy. Last time Francois Louw was the boy next door with the cheeky grin or something…
16 Jun 2011, 08:46 am
taking conditions into account I would leave Spies and Kanko at home and take Alberts and Duane to the WC…..
but we all know spies wil go.
16 Jun 2011, 09:50 am
I saw this man in Sandton and heish, what a monster of a man. He deserves to be a Bok in my book. He offers a different dimension which is impiortant. he is a grafter. Players like Kanko amnd Spies are luxury players. You can’t afford to have guys like spies and kanko to win every test match. Duane is your man, with his bone crushing defence.
16 Jun 2011, 10:39 am
He is a very good 8. But I don’t know if he is an international 8.
Personally I won’t take him to the WC, but won’t throw my toys out of the cot if he gets selected.
I still rate Burger at 8, and like the look of Strauss at 8.
16 Jun 2011, 11:40 am
What JC forgot to mention in his article is that Vermeulen has the least amount of running meters gained out of any of the 8th men in the country. Yes he can tackle, yes he’ll front up in the tough stuff……but he wont get you over the gain line and he’s essentially a cart-horse when it comes to speed around the park.
He has no finesse and there is no intelligence in his play at all! He try’s to run “over” an opponent at every chance. Doesn’t look for gaps, has no passing game whatsoever…and therefore will never be able to put a quicker player away in space or link with the back line.
Nah sorry chaps….this guy is NOT an international 8th man. He’s just a dim-bulb bruiser that likes to play rugby.
16 Jun 2011, 11:49 am
burger is a better 8 in my opinion.
16 Jun 2011, 11:52 am
i just had a moment of genius……
in 1995, mark andrews (lock) played 8 because we had kobus wiese and hannes strydom.
in 2007, danie rossouw played 8 because we had matfield and bakkies.
maybe we should be playing bekker at 8 in 2011.
he has the skills to make an awesome 8. he carries the ball well, makes telling offloads. is a monster in the tackle and is better playing looser.
16 Jun 2011, 12:07 pm
@munkiboi(munkiboi)-19:
That’s pretty out of the box thinking there…
But I think we have enough quality number 8′s in the country.
In ’95, line outs weren’t really a factor based on not being able to lift. Christie wanted the athleticism of Hannes and Andrews but also Kobus’ scrumming power.
Andrews also had some loose forward experience having played there at school and u21. Don’t think Bekker has any number 8 experience really.
Spies’ probably would’ve been the no 8 at the ’07 WC had he not come down with his “blood disease”. Pakslae also had quite a bit of loose forward experience, having played a lot of no 7 at the ’03 world cup.
He’s more a loosie who can play lock than the other way around.
We also didn’t really have any other no 8′s. Kanko only made his debut after the world cup.
Vermeulen, Alberts, Pakslae… Any of those 3 I’d be very very happy with at number 8. Probably Pakslae first on form. Let the other two have a streetfight to sort it out.
But nice thinking. Keep it coming.
16 Jun 2011, 12:30 pm
@BullDog15(BullDog15)-6: Umm… BullDog is you actually WATCH the game you will see the Bulls had at least 2 guys marking Duanne the WHOLE time to try and nullify him.
Gary Botha, Greyling and Pakslae all had a go at Duanne.
That is how dangerous and valuable he is – the Sharks also marked him at all times with Bismark (who lost the battle) and Alberts.
Give the oke some credit, the Bulls obviously rated him and did their best to try and contain him.
What exactly did Spies do in the game? Besides wearing a scrum-cap (presumably this means he is SERIOUS).
17 Jun 2011, 08:47 am
@BringItHomeBoks(bokfan1)-21: I wear my motorcycle helmet only when I get on the highway. Spies new he was going on the ‘highway’ that’s why he brought along his helmet. Spies is my 5 choice number 8 after the likes of Duane, Danie, Johnson, Alberts.
17 Jun 2011, 12:02 pm
@BringItHomeBoks(bokfan1)-21:
Now, now ***** boy, have you watched how many guys Spieeeees has marking him?
Verduane Vermeulen if the tough stuff is anything to go by
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