Duane Vermeulen will use the emotion of his final home Test to power the Springboks to a “special” victory in their World Cup farewell match against Argentina on Saturday.
The match – which kicks off at Ellis at 5pm on Saturday – will not only mark the team’s last game in the country this season, it will also be Jacques Nienaber and assistant coach Felix Jones’ last home game as Springbok coaches.
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Vermeulen, who has returned to the starting lineup to captain the team after playing off the bench against the All Blacks, will also potentially play his final home game in the green and gold.
“As a team we spoke about the fact that it’s probably my last game in the jersey in SA and it will also be the last for two of our coaches,” the veteran No 8 said.
“It may be a bit emotional but the important thing for me will be to channel that emotion into leading the team well.
“It’s also our last game on home soil before the World Cup and we want to finish on a high note. If we play well and get a good result, it would be even more special.”
Vermeulen stressed the importance of a strong finish to the Rugby Championship before the Springboks play World Cup warm-up matches.
The match at Ellis Park will be the penultimate Test before Nienaber names the final World Cup squad on 8 August.
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“The World Cup squad has not been named yet, so this will be an opportunity for every player in the squad to try to cement a place in the group,” said Vermeulen.
“As players it is vital that we use every opportunity we get, and if we deliver quality performances, it will allow us to play the way we want to play against Argentina.”
Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
