Lucky Sithole
It was certainly a surprise when Jacques Nienaber announced his Springbok squad of 43 players and the name of Duane Vermeulen was nowhere to be seen.
The Springboks are scheduled to play Wales three times in July, followed by two tests each against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.
Much was made of the fact that Western Province rising star Evan Roos had made the cut, seemingly at the expense of Vermeulen.
But the reality is a lot less dramatic.
Vermeulen has had problems with a painful knee for some time and was therefore not considered for the Wales series. He will now undergo a procedure to sort out the problem, according to Rapport.
Roos, along with Elrigh Louw and Jasper Wiese were named as the No 8s in the squad. Flank Marcell Coetzee was also included and he would probably not have made the side if Vermeulen was available.
The 35-year-old Vermeulen first played for the Springboks in September 2012 and has played 58 test matches.
He has always been considered one of the strong men of international rugby and his quiet contribution to the 2019 World Cup winning team has been applauded by friend and foe alike. He received the man of the match award for the final against England.
In last Saturday’s match he was on the losing side, playing for Ulster who lost to the Stormers in Cape Town in the semi-final of the United Rugby Championships.
Image source: @RugbyWorld
