Duane Vermeulen: Bounce of ball may decide Boks’ fate

From the serene surrounds of the Lowveld to the pressure cooker of a World Cup semifinal against Wales in Tokyo tomorrow – that’s where the rugby journey has taken robust Springbok No 8 Duane Vermeulen.

He was in the cauldron four years ago in England, where the Boks lost an agonisingly close semifinal 20-18 to their old foes, the All Blacks, and although memories of a despondent dressing room will be hard to forget, he gets another bite at the cherry.

“It’s difficult to say what that result four years ago means now, if anything,” he said. “In a way, it does [mean something]. But in a different way, it’s got no relevance.

“When you get to this stage, it’s knockouts. So it becomes do or die.”

Staying focused while the whole of South Africa is hoping the national team can secure a third World Cup title has been their main priority over the last month, adds Vermeulen, 33.

“Now it’s a 50-50 game. It will come down to either the bounce of the ball or the guy who executes his plan to the tee [sic]. But you’ve got to win. That’s the main thing.”

Vermeulen is a veteran – or rather a very experienced player who has played 52 Tests – but it took him a while to get the recognition he so richly deserves. Exactly 2,570 days.

That is how long he had to wait to make his 50th Test appearance for the Boks – in the World Cup opener against the All Blacks –since his international debut in 2012.

In stark comparison, it took teammate Eben Etzebeth “only” 1,555 days to bring up his half century of Tests, while Pieter-Steph du Toit, who reached that milestone in the warm-up game against Japan, took 2,128 days.

Vermeulen first made his mark playing for the SA rugby union team, the Pumas, in 2005, before moving to the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. There he was coached for the first time by now national team coach Rassie Erasmus, who lifted the Currie Cup with them in 2007.

He then followed Erasmus to become a stalwart for the Stormers in Cape Town and made his Bok debut against the Wallabies in 2012, a full seven years after his first season at senior first-class level.

Duane Vermeulen. Picture: Gallo Images

By the time he made his Bok debut, Vermeulen had amassed 72 caps at Super Rugby level for the Cheetahs and the Stormers.

He confessed this week: “It was pretty cool, hey [to have faced the New Zealanders in the opening game of the World Cup in such a milestone match]. I didn’t even know that at the time and it was nice to hear it, but we never spoke about it. It’s not a big thing in our team.”

He also holds the distinction of having led the Springboks this year, and is still unbeaten after their 16-16 draw against New Zealand in Wellington and a 46-13 win over Argentina in Salta, a result that saw the South Africans clinch the Rugby Championship crown for the first time in a decade.

Even respected All Blacks captain Kieran Read – Vermeulen’s direct opponent in that opening clash – admitted to being surprised he had not already reached the landmark.

“I thought I had already played 50 against Duane, so I was surprised when I heard he was only getting his 50th cap then,” chirped Read. “He’s a really top bloke and a top player. He is a big, aggressive player, who likes to carry the ball, and playing against him presents a big but enjoyable challenge.”

A win for the Boks tomorrow might present Vermeulen with another chance to face Read if the Kiwis come out trumps against England in the first semifinal today.

Wales scraped through their quarterfinal by a single point (20-19) against France, aided by French lock Sebastien Vahaamahina being red-carded for foul play early in the second half.

In a semifinal it will all come down to pressure, said Vermeulen, who believes the team will know how to deal with the added expectations.

“If you’ve been in pressure situations before, you kind of know how to handle that, how to soak it all in and how to turn that pressure into something positive.

“We’ve got guys in our team who can do that, while Wales also have guys who can do that, too.

“It will be about who can handle the pressure and turn it around into something positive,” he said.

The Boks made mistakes in their opening loss to the All Blacks, after which they had to win every game.

“Once you start your World Cup campaign, you are under pressure to perform, from your team-mates, your coach, your country who you represent, your family, everyone,” he said. “You’ve got to handle that. But knockouts are knockouts and once you are out, you are out.’’

The Boks will be able to count on more support against the Welsh than when they played Japan, as that country’s weight was firmly behind the host nation’s team.

“It’s neutral ground – they are playing away from home and we are playing away from home. It’s not like the past weekend where it felt like the whole world was against us.”

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