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Duane Vermeulen
Daniel Johannes "Duane" Vermeulen (born 3 July 1986) is a South African former professional rugby union player who previously played for the South Africa national team. He also previously played for Ulster Rugby in the United Rugby Championship, Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Pumas, Free State Cheetahs and Western Province in South African domestic rugby, the Cheetahs, Stormers and Bulls in Super Rugby and Toulon in the Top 14. He was an instrumental part of South Africa winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup and received the Man of the Match award in the final. Vermeulen played as a Number eight but he was equally adept at playing both blindside and openside flanker. Nicknamed “Thor” or "The Bone Collector", he is known for his physical strength, anticipation under the high ball and leadership abilities. He is widely regarded as one of the best Number Eights in South African Rugby history.
Vermeulen's father died from cancer in c.1997. When Vermeulen was only 10/11 years old.
Vermeulen began his career in the Free State, playing for the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup and the Cheetahs in the Super 14. He eventually followed his former coach Rassie Erasmus and joined the much larger and more competitive Western Province rugby union in 2009 after three seasons with the Free State. He put in some strong displays for the Stormers in the 2010 Super 14 season, where the Stormers made it all the way to the final.
Injuries plagued Vermeulen's 2011 and early 2012 seasons, however, after playing just nine games of Super Rugby, was selected as part of Heyneke Meyer's squad for the away leg of the Rugby Championship.
Vermeulen has twice won the Currie Cup, in 2007 with the Free State and in 2012 with Western Province. He was named captain of the Stormers for the 2015 Super Rugby season. While out with a neck injury, in June 2015 Vermeulen flew to France to be unveiled as a post-2015 Rugby World Cup signing for Top 14 club Toulon.
After a short spell in Japan with Kubota Spears, Vermeulen travelled back to his home nation of South Africa as a Bulls-player, signing in October 2018.
On 16 September 2021, it was announced that Vermeulen would join Irish province Ulster in the United Rugby Championship for the 2021–22 season. Vermeulen made his Ulster debut on 11 December 2021 in the European Rugby Champions Cup, against Clermont Auvergne. He spent two seasons with the Irish province, leaving at the end of the 2022–23 season.
Before his first full international cap, Vermeulen represented South Africa at the second level of international rugby, appearing for the Emerging Springboks. One highlight of his appearances for the Emerging Boks was being in the squad that performed against the British & Irish Lions, holding them to a 13–13 draw, during their tour to South Africa in 2009.
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Duane Vermeulen
Daniel Johannes "Duane" Vermeulen (born 3 July 1986) is a South African former professional rugby union player who previously played for the South Africa national team. He also previously played for Ulster Rugby in the United Rugby Championship, Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Pumas, Free State Cheetahs and Western Province in South African domestic rugby, the Cheetahs, Stormers and Bulls in Super Rugby and Toulon in the Top 14. He was an instrumental part of South Africa winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup and received the Man of the Match award in the final. Vermeulen played as a Number eight but he was equally adept at playing both blindside and openside flanker. Nicknamed “Thor” or "The Bone Collector", he is known for his physical strength, anticipation under the high ball and leadership abilities. He is widely regarded as one of the best Number Eights in South African Rugby history.
Vermeulen's father died from cancer in c.1997. When Vermeulen was only 10/11 years old.
Vermeulen began his career in the Free State, playing for the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup and the Cheetahs in the Super 14. He eventually followed his former coach Rassie Erasmus and joined the much larger and more competitive Western Province rugby union in 2009 after three seasons with the Free State. He put in some strong displays for the Stormers in the 2010 Super 14 season, where the Stormers made it all the way to the final.
Injuries plagued Vermeulen's 2011 and early 2012 seasons, however, after playing just nine games of Super Rugby, was selected as part of Heyneke Meyer's squad for the away leg of the Rugby Championship.
Vermeulen has twice won the Currie Cup, in 2007 with the Free State and in 2012 with Western Province. He was named captain of the Stormers for the 2015 Super Rugby season. While out with a neck injury, in June 2015 Vermeulen flew to France to be unveiled as a post-2015 Rugby World Cup signing for Top 14 club Toulon.
After a short spell in Japan with Kubota Spears, Vermeulen travelled back to his home nation of South Africa as a Bulls-player, signing in October 2018.
On 16 September 2021, it was announced that Vermeulen would join Irish province Ulster in the United Rugby Championship for the 2021–22 season. Vermeulen made his Ulster debut on 11 December 2021 in the European Rugby Champions Cup, against Clermont Auvergne. He spent two seasons with the Irish province, leaving at the end of the 2022–23 season.
Before his first full international cap, Vermeulen represented South Africa at the second level of international rugby, appearing for the Emerging Springboks. One highlight of his appearances for the Emerging Boks was being in the squad that performed against the British & Irish Lions, holding them to a 13–13 draw, during their tour to South Africa in 2009.