Springbok captain Siya Kolisi says Duane Vermeulen looked ready to wield his hammer against Wales after a bruising week on the training field. SIMON BORCHARDT reports.
With Saturday’s Test in Cardiff falling outside World Rugby’s window, the Boks are without several frontline players who had to return to their clubs.
Naming his match 23 on Thursday, coach Rassie Erasmus revealed that the world champions were “two injuries away” from having to select Vermeulen, the former Bok No 8 and current mobi-unit coach.
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On Friday, Kolisi confirmed that the 39-year-old trained at a level that left the players in no doubt he could still operate at Test intensity.
“It’s great to have him as a coach, but it’s not so nice having to play against him in training,” Kolisi said. “He can still set a maul, still hit hard and challenge us at the breakdown. He could have played this weekend if something happened. It reminds us he can still do it.”
The Bok skipper joked that “Thor” had been too physical in the build-up.
“I didn’t like what I saw from Duane this week. He was trying very hard to take the players out in training!”
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Wales, ranked 11th in the world, are without 13 first-choice players who have been released to their clubs. Their best side has endured a difficult month, suffering heavy defeats to Argentina and the All Blacks before scraping past Japan.
Despite their struggles, Kolisi dismissed any suggestion that the Boks viewed this Test as a formality.
“We prepare for everybody the same and treat every game exactly the same. Honestly, we don’t have a good record against Wales as a squad, and we know how tough they are.”
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Kolisi added that the Dragons are experiencing a down-cycle that all Test teams go through.
“We’ve been in this position before. In 2015 a lot of senior guys retired at once, and then 2016 and 2017 were really tough. That’s what happens when you don’t change your team.
“What’s been good for us is that we’ve chopped and changed while still wanting to win. The coach never says, ‘It’s OK if we lose.’ We want to win and build squad depth.”
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The No 1-ranked Boks are targeting a perfect five-from-five finish to their tour, having claimed statement victories over France and Ireland, and beaten Les Bleus and Italy despite receiving controversial straight red cards.
Kolisi said the squad’s ability to adapt under pressure has defined their season.
“It’s probably the tour where we’ve had the most growth. With all the challenges – suspensions, red cards – we had to make plans.
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Even players stepped up. At half-time, when we had cards, guys would come to the coaches with ideas about who to swap and where.
“The way we adjusted, listened and adapted without making excuses was big for us. We want to play with 15 men, but we won’t complain – we’ll adjust and play.”
Photo: Franco Arland/Gallo Images
