Duane Vermeulen

Daniel Johannes "Duane" Vermeulen (born 3 July 1986)[3] is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Kubota Spears in the Japanese Top League, having previously represented the Pumas, Free State Cheetahs and Western Province in South African domestic rugby, the Cheetahs, Stormers and Bulls in Super Rugby and Toulon in the Top 14. He was an instrumental part of South Africa winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup and received the Man of the Match award for his monumental effort in the final.

Duane Vermeulen
Vermeulen in 2012
Full nameDaniel Johannes Vermeulen
Date of birth (1986-07-03) 3 July 1986
Place of birthNelspruit, South Africa
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Weight117 kg (258 lb; 18 st 6 lb)[1][2]
SchoolHoërskool Nelspruit
Rugby union career
Position(s) Number 8
Current team Kubota Spears
Youth career
2004–2005 Pumas
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2005–2007 Pumas 26 (20)
2007–2008 Free State Cheetahs 28 (10)
2007–2008 Cheetahs 20 (15)
2009–2015 Western Province 38 (35)
2009–2015 Stormers 89 (25)
2015–2018 Toulon 68 (10)
2018–present Kubota Spears 7 (5)
2019 Bulls 14 (10)
Correct as of 11 July 2019
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2009 Emerging Springboks 1 (0)
2012–present South Africa 54 (15)
Correct as of 3 November 2019
Vermeulen playing for Western Province in 2010

Career

Vermeulen plays as a Number eight but he is equally adept at playing both blindside and openside flanker.

He began his career in the Free State, playing for the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup and the Cheetahs in the Super 14. He eventually followed his former coach Rassie Erasmus and joined the much larger and more competitive Western Province rugby union in 2009 after three seasons with the Free State.

Although putting in some strong displays for the Stormers in the 2010 Super 14 season, where the Stormers made it all the way to the final, and looking like being a certain selection for the Springboks, Vermeulen was not called into the Springbok squad that faced Wales, Italy and France. He was also omitted from the Springboks 2010 Tri Nations Series squad.

Before his first full international cap, he represented South Africa at the second level of international rugby, appearing for the Emerging Springboks. One highlight of his appearances for the Emerging Boks was being in the squad that performed against the British and Irish Lions, holding them to a 13–13 draw, during their tour to South Africa in 2009.

After a stand out Currie Cup domestic Rugby Season, Vermeulen was named as part of the 39-man preliminary training squad ahead of the 2010 end of year grand slam tour to the Northern Hemisphere. He was once again overlooked for selection in the final squad. Injuries plagued Vermeulen's 2011 and early 2012 seasons, however, after playing just 9 games of Super Rugby, was selected as part of Heyneke Meyer's squad for the away leg of the Rugby Championship.

Vermeulen has twice won the Currie Cup, in 2007 with the Free State and in 2012 with Western Province. In 2014, he was one of five nominees for the IRB Player of the Year award.[4] He was then named captain of the Stormers for the 2015 Super Rugby season. Whilst out with a neck injury, in June 2015 Vermeulen flew to France to be unveiled as a post-2015 Rugby World Cup signing for Top 14 club RC Toulonnais.[5]

After a short spell in Japan with Kubota Spears, Vermeulen travelled back to his home nation of South Africa as a Bulls-player, signing in October 2018.[6]

International career

On 8 September 2012, Vermeulen made his international debut for South Africa, where he formed part of the starting lineup going up against Australia. He was selected again to start the following week against New Zealand in Dunedin, where South Africa lost by 10 points. On 29 September 2012, South Africa beat Australia 31 – 8, a victory which marked Vermeulen's first Springbok win.

He was selected for the Springboks' 2012 Northern Hemisphere tour. Vermeulen received a man of the match award for his performance against England at Twickenham during this tour, based on a number of vital turnovers on the ground, 15 hard tackles, and his role of primary ball carrier on the day.

On 2 November 2019, Vermeulen played in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final against England. He was part of the South African team that won their third World Cup at the Yokohama Stadium in Japan. He was awarded a man of the match award for his performance where he made a number of vital contributions, including 10 carries, making 49 meters (both the most in the match) and 2 turnovers.[7]

Test Match Record
As of 3 November 2019
Against P W D L Tri Pts %Won
 Argentina660015100
 Australia64020066.67
 England75021571.43
 France330000100
 Ireland42020050
 Italy330000100
 Japan220000100
 New Zealand91170016.67
 Samoa110000100
 Scotland550000100
 United States110000100
 Wales75021571.43
Total543811531571.3

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored

International Tries
TryOpposing teamLocationVenueCompetitionDateResult
1 ArgentinaSoweto, South AfricaFNB Stadium2013 Rugby Championship17 August 2013Won 73-13
2 WalesDurban, South AfricaKings ParkMid-year rugby test series14 June 2014Won 38-16
3 EnglandBloemfontein, South AfricaToyota StadiumMid-year rugby test series16 June 2018Won 23-12

Super Rugby Statistics
As of 9 June 2020
SeasonTeamGamesStartsSubMinsTriesPoints
2007 Cheetahs7524370010
2008 Cheetahs1312194931500
2009 Stormers1313010400000
2010 Stormers15150118621000
2011 Stormers1615111780010
2012 Stormers8806400000
2013 Stormers101007910010
2014 Stormers1616012211500
2015 Stormers1111086221000
2016–2018Did not participate in Super Rugby
2019 Bulls14140105621000
Total12311949360105030
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References
  1. "SA Rugby Player Profile – Duane Vermeulen". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. http://www.espn.co.uk/southafrica/rugby/player/91492.html
  3. Duane Vermeulen player profile ESPN Scrum.com
  4. "World Rugby Player of the Year nominees named" (Press release). IRB. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  5. http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Super15/Stormers-stunned-at-Duanes-unveiling-20150619
  6. "Bulls confirm capture of Duane Vermeulen" (Press release). Sport24 (RSA). 26 October 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  7. "England 12-32 South Africa: Springboks win World Cup for record-equalling third time". BBC. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
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