Saturday 20 July
South Africa v Australia
(4.05pm, Johannesburg)
Argentina v New Zealand
(7.05pm, Buenos Aires)Saturday 27 July
New Zealand v South Africa
(8.35am, Wellington)
Australia v Argentina
(10.45am, Brisbane)Saturday 10 August
Australia v New Zealand
(10.45am, Perth)
Argentina v South Africa
(8.40pm, Salta)
UK times. All matches live on Sky Sports2019 RUGBY
CHAMPIONSHIP
FIXTURES
South Africa
FACT FILE
Age 33 (3 July 1986)
Born Nelspruit
Franchise Bulls
Position No 8
Height 6ft 4in
Weight 18st 5lb
SA caps 46
Points 15 (3T)
Twitter handle
@duane_vermeulenthen it was confirmed that I was
going to the Bulls. We’ve had to accept
the challenge and move on. Hopefully it
all pays off and I will have the chance to
realise my dream of representing the
Boks at another World Cup.”
Vermeulen, who assumed the Boks
captaincy on several occasions when
Siya Kolisi left the field last season,
will have plenty to share with the
leadership and coaching staff as they
prepare for their campaign in Japan.
His contract with Kubota allowed him
to experience Japanese rugby – and
the local culture – at first hand.
“A lot of players are going to find it
life-changing when they go to the World
Cup later this year. The support over
there is fantastic and I have no doubt
the tournament is going to be one to
remember. It’s exciting to think about
what the World Cup will do for rugby
in that part of the world.
“The food takes some
getting used to, as does the
culture,” he adds with a
chuckle. “Nobody speaks
English and Japanese isn’t
the easiest language to learn.
Those are challenges we will
have to embrace, though, if
we are going to succeed.”
Vermeulen enjoyed a less
demanding schedule while
playing for Kubota. He
certainly appeared slimmer,
fitter and more determined
than ever when he rejoined the Boks for
their four-Test tour last November.
“The experience of playing in Japan
is one I will never forget,” he says. “The
skill level wasn’t quite what I was used
to, nor the standard of the refereeing.
Then again, my time with Kubota allowed
me to reset before the all-important
2019 season. I had the opportunity to
recover from a few niggles.
“It was good to get away from the
grind of European rugby. I don’t think
people appreciate how mentally
draining the game can be in that part
of the world. Japan gave me a breather.
I felt I could let go a bit.
“I missed the Rugby
Championship while I was
playing in Japan. When I
returned to the Boks for
the end-of-year tour, I found
the side more mature than
it was in that series against
England in South Africa. The
individuals had a greater
understanding of their
roles within the set-up.
There was no room for
complacency and themessage was clear: you’re going to
have to fight to stay in this set-up and
increase your chances of going to the
World Cup. It was pleasing to see.”
This year’s Rugby Championship –
truncated to three rounds ahead of the
World Cup – will be the first Vermeulen
has played in since 2014, injuries and
club commitments preventing him from
taking part in the intervening years. The
Boks coaches will hope he can help
the team deliver more consistency
than they showed during last year’s
tournament, when they won three and
lost three in a topsy-turvy campaign.
Vermeulen has a reputation as a
straight-talker. Some criticised the
comments made by the No 8 in the
wake of the Boks’ 57-15 loss to the
All Blacks in 2016 – their worst defeat
on home soil. While Vermeulen took
aim at the flawed South African rugby
system, it was always his intention and
desire to return to the national set-up
sooner rather than later and improve the
standards from within.
And in 2017 and 2018, he did exactly
that. Thanks largely to his efforts at the
breakdown and on the gain-line, the“It’s exciting to think about
what the World Cup will do for
rugby in that part of the world”
Old rivals
Faf de Klerk in action
v New Zealand last year