Duane Vermeulen’s contract with his new Japanese club could prevent him from playing for the Springboks in the Rugby Championship.

Vermeulen will leave French club Toulon at the end of the current European season. According to Rapport newspaper, he will join Frans Ludeke’s Kubota Spears and then return to the Stormers early next year to play in the 2019 Super Rugby tournament.

However, while his Japanese club contract will allow him to play in the three-Test series against England this June and on the end-of-year tour, he will reportedly not be released for the Rugby Championship.

Vermeulen is one of the front-runners to captain the Boks this year, but unlikely to get the job if he isn’t available for all of the team’s matches.

Photo: @Springboks/Twitter