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Duane Vermeulen's 'touchies' comment captures a mood after a tough week for rugby

By Online Editors
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

There will those that don’t agree with the appropriateness of Springbok Duane Vermeulen’s comic turn during the Currie Cup match between the Bulls and the Sharks, but big No.8 certainly captured the mood of a decent section of rugby fans after a difficult week for the sport.

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The potential long-term consequences of head collisions and concussion in the sport were brought into sharp relief with news that a group of former players are planning to take a class-action lawsuit against the RFU, WRU and World Rugby over neurological issues they believe have come about as a result of playing the game professionally.

The high tackle protocols, now in place for over a year, have left some in the rugby community questioning how exactly tackles can be made effectively within the protocols, and the Bulls’ forward’s comments certainly speak to that side of the aisle.

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The Sharks beat the Bulls 32-29 in a Currie Cup crunch match in Durban this past Saturday, with Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn missing a late penalty that could have drawn the match.

However, the moment of the match wasn’t the late drama, any of the five tries or the many brutal hits. It was the comment of Bulls captain Duane Vermeulen to Sharks counterpart and fellow World Cup Bok Lukhanyo Am after the second of the two yellow cards.

The first yellow card was dished out by referee Marius van der Westhuizen, in consultation with his TMO Marius Jonker, to Sharks centre Marius Louw in the 19th minute – following an awkward collision with Steyn.

Six minutes later the match officials, having now painted themselves into a corner, had no choice to issue Bulls prop Jacques van Rooyen with a yellow card for a similar incident.

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Both Vermeulen and Am were called forward by the referee for a schoolmaster-like lecture.

It was then that a clearly agitated Vermeulen turned to Am and said: “Maybe we should play touchies [touch rugby]?”

The referee at least saw the funny side of the great Bok’s remark.

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

44 Go to comments
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