Vermeulen anticipating hostile reception on SA return

Springbok No 8 Duane Vermeulen says he isn’t expecting a warm welcome when he thunders into the Stormers and Vodacom Bulls during Ulster’s tour of South Africa.

Vermeulen is back in South Africa with Irish side Ulster as they prepare for their Vodacom United Rugby Championship matches against the Stormers in Cape Town and Bulls in Pretoria.

First up for Vermeulen on Saturday afternoon is the Stormers, the team he was playing for when he was first picked to make his Springbok debut in 2012.

In an interview with the Springbok website, Vermeulen joked about what he is expecting when he runs out for the Stormers’ opposition at Cape Town stadium.

“I think for the first match in Cape Town, the fans there will be reminding me about where my mother comes from and her Cape roots, and then the second week in Pretoria I may just get a brandy and Coke thrown at me,” Vermeulen said with a laugh.

“I have the best memories of my time playing for the Stormers and the Bulls. I enjoyed every minute. But I suppose there’s a time to come and go.

“I think moving on and going to a different club was the right call for me at this point in my career. But it will definitely be a bittersweet homecoming. I’m looking forward to playing against the familiar faces and hopefully showing a bit of the new tricks I’ve learned up north. I’m sure I’ll also have a few of them gunning for me to prove a point.”

Vermeulen joined Ulster from the Bulls last year and admits that conditions in Ireland took some getting used to, as they would have for the South African teams when they played in the northern hemisphere.

“Up north, it’s cold and wet. That’s the biggest adjustment and challenge for a South African rugby player. You’re not used to that,” Vermeulen added.

“But I believe it’s a very good change for South African rugby. The United Rugby Championship is definitely something different and new, and it’s giving a little more energy for the supporters to see how South African teams now come up against the best of the north and perform against them.

“It’s different styles of rugby, and that’s exciting. It’s great to see and going forward it’s going to open up a lot of new doors for South African rugby.”