Duane Vermeulen: Where does retiring Bok legend rank?
Retiring Duane Vermeulen will surely go down as the Springboks’ greatest No 8 to have ever played the game.
On Wednesday it was confirmed that Duane Vermeulen was set to hang up his boots after an iconic career that culminated with another World Cup triumph.
The 37-year-old Vermeulen’s illustrious Springbok career spanned 76 Tests over 11 seasons and if it wasn’t for injuries, he would probably have racked up a century of appearances in the green and gold. He started 68 of his Tests in the No 8 jersey, played three times at flanker and five times off the bench, scoring three tries for South Africa.
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Ultimately, when taking a closer look at Vermeulen’s record, there is no doubt that he retires as the greatest ever Springbok No 8, and it’s a status that may stand for quite some time.
Ultimately, ‘Thor’ started in 68 Tests, 21 more than the Pierre Spies and 16 more than Gary Teichmann.
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BULLS CONGRATULATE DUANE VERMEULEN ON STELLAR CAREER
Bulls Director of Rugby, Jake White leads a chorus of praise across South Africa for Duane Vermeulen.
The 37-year-old represented the Bulls with distinction in 23 matches across four campaigns – Super Rugby, Currie Cup, Super Rugby Unlocked and Rainbow Cup – between 2018 and 2022, winning the Currie Cup and Super Rugby Unlocked competitions.
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White saluted Vermeulen and said: “On behalf of the Bulls family I would like to congratulate Duane on what has been an exemplary career. He was an influential player during his time with us at Loftus, with an incredible work ethic and an ability to swing a game and turn it on its head in an instant.
“He was an absolute workhorse with technical and tactical prowess that gave our forward pack/scrums the perfect foundation to attack set pieces with great confidence. As a coach, you take a lot of confidence from a player who you know can stand and deliver and he was able to do so time and time again for us. A great leader and an all-round good person for his colleagues to be around as well.
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“I know that wherever he has played, he has been well-received and respected, proving to be a great presence for fans, players and administrators alike. What he has been able to achieve in his career is remarkable. He can be proud of both his achievements on the field and those he has inspired others to pursue off the field.”
BBCo Chief Executive, Edgar Rathbone added: “Duane was a great servant and ambassador of our franchise, inspiring the younger generation to fall in love with our beautiful game. We will always be grateful for the time he spent at Loftus and our memories are richer for having seen him run in the famous blue, helping us lift championships in the process.
“We wish him all of the very in his retirement as he enjoys more time with his family and young kids.
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