‘Honoured’ Vermeulen plans to lead Springboks by example

Duane Vermeulen described the opportunity to captain South Africa for the first time as an “unbelievable honour” and promised to lead by example.

Experienced number eight Vermeulen has been named skipper for the Springboks’ mammoth Rugby Championship clash with New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday.

And while acknowledging he may not take the most vocal approach to captaincy, Vermeulen is confident he can fulfil the role well with the help of other senior men.

“Only a few players have had the honour of captaining the Springboks in the history of our game, so it is an unbelievable honour for me,” Vermeulen told a news conference.

“There’s a bit of emotion, but it’s controlled emotion.

Check out the #Springbok team photo session earlier today in Wellington@Official_Bozza @MTNza @SuperSportTV @SuperRugby @LandRoverZA @FNBSA #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/JWr9PiB2Et

— Springboks (@Springboks) July 26, 2019

“The people who know me will tell you that I just love to play and that I am not one for big speeches. I think I lead by example and, from that point of view, it’s the way I like to play the game.

“My role in the team still stays the same and we have a big leadership group, which is good for the team. On match days, there’s a couple of us who talk on the field.”

South Africa defeated the All Blacks at Westpac Stadium last year and Vermeulen added: “I think it will be a massive game with both sides ready to have a good go at each other.”

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