Dan McFarland believes No 8 Duane Vermeulen still has “phenomenal” influence on games and should be selected for the Springboks if they aim to defend their world title this year.
McFarland was speaking after Vermeulen led Ulster to a 31-24 bonus-point win against the Sharks on Saturday that dealt a significant blow to the Durbanites’ hopes of finishing inside the Vodacom United Rugby Championship top four.
The SA hard man was colossal in the URC clash, at one point storming away after a breakdown steal before sprawling fellow Bok Rohan Janse van Rensburg with a powerful fend, to help the men from Belfast bounce back from their loss to Glasgow Warriors last week and cut the gap on the second-placed DHL Stormers to just five points.
Vermeulen was a notable omission on the Springboks’ end-of-year tour in November, with some suggesting the 2019 World Cup hero’s best days are behind him, as the 65-Test-capped veteran turns 37 in July – two months before the global showpiece kicks off in France.
McFarland, though, disagrees, and asked post-match at Kings Park on Saturday whether Vermeulen still has a key role to play for the Boks in 2023, the Ulster head coach gave an unequivocal answer: “Can he still go to the World Cup? Of course he can! We saw today how good he is.
“This is a guy who not long ago made three massive plays against the All Blacks. That is what Duane does – he is the best mauler in the world and when the team needs an important play to be made, he is the one who will make it happen.
“He might not be the all singing, all dancing, carry the ball 16 times a game player [of his youth] but, man, the influence he has on games is phenomenal.
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He added: “We were coming to a part of the world where Duane is very well known and he probably puts the fear of God into a lot of South Africans, so giving him the opportunity to captain the side made sense.
“There is also the fact that he is familiar with the Durban conditions and he kept the guys going when it got tough.
“Talking to the guys in the change room, they felt it was physically tougher than our away game against the Lions earlier this season in Johannesburg and that was at altitude and in full sunshine [it was overcast in Durban].
“So I am pleased with how we got stuck in and gave everything to get this win. South Africa is a tough place to come and to win both of our away games here this season is something to be proud of.”
Photo: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo