Boks are prospering under the Great Duane

Mike Greenaway

It has been just over a year since the Springboks ground out an 18-3 victory over Scotland in the opening round of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but Duane Vermeulen insists that Sunday’s rematch in Edinburgh will be a very different ball game.

After calling time on his international career following the Boks' triumph in Paris, Vermeulen, now 38, is a year into his new chapter as a coach. Speaking from Edinburgh, he shared his reflections on the transition from “one of the boys” to a member of the management team.

“We had a great training camp in Jersey where we were accepted with open arms,” he remarked.

“There are only 100 000 people on this island but a fair percentage of them seemed to be South Africans and we felt the love. It was good for us to bond together again after a month apart. We came together nicely.”

Vermeulen acknowledged the challenges of his new role, noting, “It has been an interesting time for me because I’m no longer a player, yet I know the guys so well and I have to step back and understand my role.

“I am learning on the trot. It is a year since I retired but I remain in the mix with the Boks and I love every minute of this privilege. I’m growing in my role week-by-week.”

With both teams evolving since their last encounter, Vermeulen pointed out that Scotland has also moved forward from their performance a year ago. The Scots demonstrated their prowess by thrashing a resilient Fiji team 57-17 over the weekend.

“We know how dangerous Scotland are with their threats all over the field. They have so much firepower out wide, but we are excited about the weekend because we have been evolving too,” he said.

Vermeulen recounted the Springboks’ time in Jersey, which offered them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their new direction.

“We had four days of heavy training to get us into the right mode for a Test week. Both teams have changed since that last game in Marseille. Our assistants Tony (Brown) and Jerry (Flannery) have added a different flavour to our game,” he explained. “They have unique strengths.”

The Springboks' structure has also undergone significant changes.

“We are developing as a team and we have a different structure to a year ago, and it is the same with the Scotland team. The Scots have always liked to run the ball, and they still have that, but I see that they have worked on the tactical side of things. Everyone is trying to get the complete game and they are working towards that goal.”

Vermeulen concluded, “Sunday will tell us how far both teams have come.

“Scotland will be up for it on their home ground and will be boosted by the success of Glasgow in the United Rugby Championship. We have had our success (in the Rugby Championship) so the result of this game will say a lot about our respective journeys.”