The Springboks have been rocked at the start of the week building up to their first match of the season by the news that talismanic No 8 Duane Vermeulen has to undergo surgery if he is to have any chance of making it to the Rugby World Cup in September.
Vermeulen, last year’s South African Rugby Player of the Year, has been out of rugby since pulling up with a neck spasm at the captain’s practice on the eve of the DHL Stormers’ conference deciding Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Emirates Lions on 6 June. Initially the prognosis wasn’t too bad, and after some early specialist opinions were sought, it was decided that rest would be the best remedy and he was even given a chance of still playing in the Super Rugby play-offs.
However, Vermeulen’s condition hasn’t improved, and last week he visited Durban to get an extra opinion on the recommendation of the Springbok medical team. According to a Springbok management release issued on Monday morning, the need for surgery was identified to give him the best possible chance to recover in time for the global rugby showpiece in England in September and October. The operation is scheduled for Wednesday.
While the operation will give Vermeulen the best chance of being ready for the Word Cup, the management don’t seem overly optimistic as they have acknowledged that he will be “in a race against time to be fit”.
The latest development is the last thing that Bok coach Heyneke Meyer would have needed as he starts the build-up week to the Newlands match against a World XV on Saturday. That will be followed by an away Rugby Championship test against Australia in Brisbane the following week, followed by a massive home match against the All Blacks in Johannesburg seven days later.
With the Super Rugby final between the Highlanders and the Hurricanes at the weekend delivering top quality rugby that has served to increase the negativity about the Boks chances at the World Cup, the South Africans desperately need something to go right for them so that some of the public confidence can be regained ahead of an important international season.
However the confirmation that Vermeulen is going to struggle to be fit for the World Cup caps a weekend of bleak news dominated off the field by controversies away from the field.
Meyer agreed that the confirmation that Vermeulen will have to undergo an operation is a huge setback.
“This is a huge setback for us, but as with any injury in the game it’s something that we simply have to overcome,” he said.
“Duane is world-class, which was underlined last year when he was named the SA Rugby Player of the Year and nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year Award. He is one of the leaders in our squad and since making his debut in 2012, he has become an integral member of the team.
“I really feel very sorry for him as he was hoping to have yet another huge season for the Springboks, but we’ve properly discussed the situation with him and our medical team, and the decision was taken to have the surgery now as it will be the best for him in the long run. We do have a number of great loose-forwards available for selection, but with Willem Alberts also not available, this will be a good test of our depth.”
Team doctor Craig Roberts described the operation as the best option for Vermeulen’s medium to long term career options.
“Duane will be put on an intensive post-operation rehabilitation programme within the Springbok setup and we will work tirelessly to get him ready for the World Cup,” said Roberts.
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