Duane Vermeulen Ulster

Eyebrows were raised when Duane Vermeulen was not selected in last Saturday’s 43-man Springbok squad for the upcoming international season. Photo: Twitter @Springboks

Duane Vermeulen gives Springboks HUGE 2023 Rugby World Cup boost

Springbok No 8 Duane Vermeulen says the 2023 Rugby World Cup is very much in his sights, despite a move to the northern hemisphere.

Duane Vermeulen Ulster

Eyebrows were raised when Duane Vermeulen was not selected in last Saturday’s 43-man Springbok squad for the upcoming international season. Photo: Twitter @Springboks

Springboks stalwart Duane Vermeulen has revealed the 2023 Rugby World Cup is very much in his sights, despite a move to the northern hemisphere.

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With Vermeulen having taken up an offer to join Irish side Ulster, and with his 36th birthday on the way next year, some Springbok fans have been wondering if he still harbours major green & gold ambitions or if he considers his international career to be winding down.

According to the Planet Rugby website, in an interview with the BBC Sport NI’s The Ulster Rugby Show, Vermeulen put any speculation to rest.

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The long-serving Springbok No 8 says he has every intention of joining the Boks in France for the defence of their World Cup trophy in 2023 if things go according to plan.

“I always said if things didn’t work out contractually in South Africa then I’d go to play abroad,” he said.

“The Ulster offer came up and I thought ‘maybe doing this might be good for my rugby’. You can always learn and maybe a change of scenery and environment will do me good.

“I chatted to my wife and we decided on doing that.

“[But] I still want to play for the Springboks as well. So if I can push towards the next World Cup as well, that’s my marker. That’s a big thing.

“If I can play and contribute I want to keep going as long as I can.”

Ulster fans are hoping Duane Vermeulen can make a major impact in Belfast as well, and he assured the club’s supporters that he wasn’t coming to Kingspan Stadium to make up the numbers or cash a cheque.

“I don’t play this game to compete, I play to win. Everyone wants to walk off the field a winner and lift trophies – that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

Duane Vermeulen is embracing being a mentor

And now that he’s one of the elder statesmen in the game, Vermeulen has embraced being a mentor to his younger teammates, and he hopes to do the same for the youngsters at Ulster.

“If I can contribute to something like that I’d be happy. By doing that you get younger guys looking up to you and learning from you. You don’t even have to say anything, people see the difference quickly.

“You have to have guys working towards that same goal and keep on setting goals along the way, consistently growing as a team.”

Duane Vermeulen also hopes to get his Ulster team-mates as enthusiastic about mauling as his fellow South African players.

“In South Africa we love the maul. It’s really part of the things we do and it’s something I hope I can contribute to this squad and hopefully we can change one or two things and score a lot of maul tries.”

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