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The big Springbok omission set to benefit from a Vermeulen withdrawal
Veteran Duane Vermeulen appears to be the first major injury casualty ahead of the British and Irish Lions series against the Springboks in July – writes Jan De Koning.
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South Africa’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus admitted the injury to Vermeulen ‘doesn’t look good’, after the World Cup-winning No.8 hobbled off in the Rainbow Cup encounter between the Bulls and Stormers at Loftus Versfeld this past Friday.
Vermeulen, 34 and capped 54 times by the Boks since his debut almost a decade ago, left the field just on the half-hour mark and immediately put ice on the injured ankle.
Bulls coach Jake White said in the post-match media briefing he was fearing the worst – a sentiment echoed by both coach Jacques Nienaber and Erasmus.
Erasmus said Vermeulen was on his way to Cape Town for a scan and they will have to “wait and see”, but it certainly looked bad.
“He wouldn’t have limped off if it wasn’t serious, so we are unfortunately fearing for the worst.
“We always expected [injury setbacks] with the Rainbow Cup being strength versus strength and SA derbies are brutal.
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“So far we have been fortunate, touch wood, and hopefully next week in the last round we don’t loose any players.
“We did expect some big losses and I expect Duane might be one of them.”
While Vermeulen’s injury will be a blow – as a result of the loss of his experience, physicality and leadership – both Erasmus and Nienaber felt there is more than adequate back-up, both in the squad named at the weekend and the fringe players around.
One of the big names to miss out is 30-times capped Marcell Coetzee, who returned from a long-term injury in the same match that saw Vermeulen injured.
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“For us to draft a player in, it is just a day,” Erasmus told the media briefing.
“If we have an injury, the player can join the next day if he has a negative [COVID-19] result.
“Some of those players might be disappointed now,” he said of Coetzee, adding: “However, it is strategic to allow him to get more game time.”
Erasmus said the reason why European-based players like Rudolph Snyman and Lodewyk de Jager are not required to first have games when they come back from injury is because they have won the World Cup for the Boks and have played more than 20 Tests with the team.
“We know what we have in them and we know how to get them fit.”
Already in the Bok squad, named at the weekend, are players like Dan du Preez, Albertus Smith, Marco van Staden and the uncapped Jasper Wiese.
Erasmus said England-based Wiese “knocked the door down” with his form and won’t let the team down.
Bok coach Jacques Nienaber suggested the World Cup Final squad will form the basis of the Test team against the British and Irish Lions.
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“I won’t say it is out [a lost cause] for the other players,” Nienaber told @rugby365com.
“It would be stupid to suggest the guys who played in the World Cup is now second- or third-best. They have been there and done well in the past.
BREAKING: Bok squad for the Lions named 🚨#LionsRugby #Springboks https://t.co/8udPJSvRwI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 5, 2021
“[However,] if a guy knocks the door down in training, there is no reason why an uncapped player won’t start.
“I will say this much, the guys who were at the World Cup are certainly not showing a sense of entitlement. They are all working hard and playing well.”
He admitted those players that missed out – like Marcell Coetzee (who still needs game time after coming back from injury), Lizo Gqoboka (still injured) and John Schickerling (injured) – can still get a look in.
Coetzee played his first game when he featured for the Bulls against the Stormers this past Friday, after being out with an injury since early March.
“That is the advantage we have with a guy like Marcell [Coetzee], now playing in South Africa. He can play [for the Bulls] in the Rainbow Cup [next week’s final league fixture and possibly the Final], as well as the [Bulls’] encounter with the B&I Lions [at Loftus Versfeld on July 10].
“We might have more injuries.”That is when guys like that [Coetzee, Gqoboka and Schickerling] will make the squad.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Yeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
1 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
4 Go to commentsThe Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
4 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
4 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
13 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
13 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
13 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
4 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
4 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
4 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
2 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
3 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to comments