Duane Vermeulen enjoying growing into his new coaching role

The Boks continue their preparations in Brisbane for their opening Rugby Championship match against the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, 10 August.

Vermeulen played the last of his 76 Tests in the triumphant 2023 Rugby World Cup final in France before he took up the role as an SA Rugby Mobi-Unit coach earlier this year. And after having the pleasure of working alongside the Springbok, Junior Springbok and Springbok Women's coaches, he was excited about his latest rotation.

Vermeulen assisted the Springboks during the Incoming Series in South Africa which featured two Tests against Ireland and one against Portugal, and he is currently in Australia with the Springboks for what is expected to be a gripping Rugby Championship.

"At first, I didn't really know where to fit in because only last year I was a player and now obviously I'm more on the management side of things," he said.

"Having played with most of the guys before, one tends to know them really well, which makes moving into such a role smoother," said Vermeulen. "However, working with the coaches has been fantastic. It's good fun, and I'm learning a lot because now I get to see the other side of things."

The former Springbok enforcer said that his focus in the week had now changed: "As a player you must put in the hard yards on the training field during the week and ensure that you pitch up on the weekend. But in this role, you see how the coaches approach every game, and witness first-hand all the hard work and planning that goes into it, so it's an exciting challenge, and one that I hope will allow me to grow in this path."

Vermeulen added that the experience he gained during his playing days was invaluable in allowing him to serve both the coaches and players as effectively as possible.

"That was probably one of the easiest things because I understand the players and their mindset," he said. "As a former player I know what it's like to constantly try to improve your game, so it's nice to be the voice between the players and coaches, and more so since some players don't know how to approach a coach.

"This way I can listen to the players because they communicate with me, but it also works vice versa with the coaches."

The 2020 and 2014 SA Rugby Player of the Year was also delighted about the opportunity to make a contribution to the sport that he holds such a deep passion for, and said: "I was in the professional game for 19 years and I think I started playing rugby when I was three years old, so it's not just about my love for the game, but everything that goes with it.

"When you've been in rugby for such a long time, it's difficult to walk away, and by being a Mobi-Unit coach it's nice to be able to share the things that I learned over the years with the next generation of players."

Meanwhile, the Springboks wrapped up their training for the week on Saturday with their second gym and field sessions after touching down in Australia on Thursday and they will have Sunday off to rest before leaping back into full Test-week action on Monday.

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