Duane Vermeulen, the Springboks’ warhorse who hung up his boots after hoisting the 2023 World Cup, may be asked to lace them up again in Cardiff this weekend in one of the most extraordinary selection twists of the Rassie Erasmus era.
The 39-year-old, now a “roving coach” operating across multiple departments in the Bok setup, has been listed as the 25th man for Saturday’s Quilter Nations Series Test against Wales. He is effectively one rolled ankle away from swapping his clipboard for a gumshield.
With several squad members released to their clubs in Japan, England, Ireland and South Africa, Erasmus suddenly found himself with only 24 fit and available players.
The Bok mentor was forced into a rarely seen 7–1 ‘Nuke Squad’ bench split, elevating prop Ntuthuko Mchunu as 24th man and placing Vermeulen next in line should injury strike.
Erasmus admitted the decision had nothing to do with strategy and everything to do with survival.
“The team selection, I don’t think we planned at the beginning of the year to go 7–1… It’s actually the only guys available after discussing with our franchises,” he explained.
“Player 24 is Tuks [Ntuthuko Mchunu] and player 25 is Duane Vermeulen. So, it was a case of one injury, Tuks is in and another injury, Duane is in.”
With Cobus Reinach celebrating his 50th Test as the lone specialist back on the bench, Erasmus revealed the Boks have drawn up contingency plans as intricate as a lineout map.
“We’ve got a whole lot of players who can cover multiple positions for us,” he said.
“Cobus will cover on the wing. Kwagga [Smith] covers nine on defence if we lose two backs to injury and on attack he’ll go onto the blind wing. Then we also have Ben-Jason [Dixon] who’s on standby should we get a third injury in the backline.”
It’s a makeshift mosaic only Erasmus could paint, he selected a forward pack stacked like boulders and a backline knitted together with Swiss-army versatility. Smith’s adaptability and Dixon’s athleticism give the Boks just enough duct tape to keep the machine running if chaos strikes.
The Bok coach expects a fierce Welsh response in a match that doubles as the final outing of the year for both nations.
“We’re expecting a tough Test in Cobus’ 50th game against a Welsh team who we think has a tough underbelly and who has fire in their bellies,” Erasmus warned.
“Somewhere along the line their game will come together and we’re just hoping that it isn’t against us on Saturday.”
And with the World Cup draw looming next week, Erasmus knows Wales will empty the tank.
“There’s no doubt they’ll give everything to finish their season on a high note and try to improve their world ranking,” he added.
Whether Vermeulen actually takes the field or simply prowls the tunnel in standby mode, the mere possibility of the great No. 8 suiting up again adds a thunderclap of drama to a Test already promising sparks.
