‘I was in a tough spot’ – Duane Vermeulen considered Springbok retirement
South Africa's Duane Vermeulen ahead of the international match at Twickenham Stadium.
Springboks loose forward Duane Vermeulen says that he was close to calling time on his international career before the Rugby World Cup.
The 37-year-old produced a man-of-the-match performance in the 2019 World Cup final, and four years on, he is the oldest Springboks player at the 2023 tournament.
However, the veteran Bok says that he considered hanging up his boots before the coaches reassured him.
‘The body was acting up’
Vermeulen missed the 2021 British and Irish Lions series and struggled with injuries during the four years in between the World Cups.
Ahead of South Africa’s opening game against Scotland, he was asked whether he thought he’d be part of the 33-man squad for the Springboks’ title defence.
“To be to be really honest, no,” he said.
“Just before I joined Ulster, I was in a tough spot; the body was acting up. I thought maybe I should have called it (his international retirement) back in 2019. The coaches reassured me to play on.
“Since playing my first game this year for the Boks, I actually really enjoyed it.
“It’s that last bit of energy that’s in you, and you know you want to push and finish on a high, so that’s where I am at the moment.”
The threat of Finn Russell
South Africa have a challenging pool stage at the World Cup, kicking off with a clash against world number five Scotland on Sunday.
Looking ahead to the clash with the Scots, Vermuelen knows the threat that fly-half Finn Russell poses.
“Scotland love to play on quick ball, and Finn Russell is the kingpin in that position,” he added.
“He’s a magician with ball in hand. He’s got a massive playbook in his head and is just a fantastic individual player.
“It’s a guy we really have to sit down and have video sessions (on) and have a look at what he does.”
The Boks will aim to kick off their tournament on a high, and the veteran forward hopes his side gets on the right end of the result.
“It’s the start of your World Cup campaign, so there’s probably a bit of pressure on everyone to produce,” he said. “But it also depends on how you see pressure or how you handle pressure.
“You want to start well. That’s the same for every single team – hopefully we can achieve that.”
READ MORE: Cheslin Kolbe describes Boks’ World Cup opener against Scotland as ‘a final for us’
