World Cup-winning coach Jake White has slammed incumbent Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus for allowing the release of Duane Vermeulen ahead of the Rugby Championship.
Vermeuelen started all three of the Springbok’s June Test matches against England after returning from a three-year stint with Toulon.
Having looked poised to sign a deal with a South African Super Rugby franchise upon his return, Vermeulen instead opted to sign a short-term deal (until January) with Kubota Spears in the Japanese Top League, thus making himself unavailable for the Rugby Championship.
It makes sense for Vermeulen to want to cash in at 32 and still return in time for the World Cup. But White, who oversaw the Springboks’ 2007 World Cup title-winning campaign, believes with Vermeuelen having been away from South Africa for three years and with so little time to prepare for the World Cup, it would have been highly beneficial to have the 43-capped number eight around.
“The only logical way to explain it is that, unlike other national coaches, Rassie is not worried about keeping his job,” wrote White in a column on the website alloutrugby.com. “There’s no doubt in my mind that if his job depended on results over the next two years, there’s no way Vermeulen would have been allowed to go to Japan.”
“What I hear from the Bok camp is that we’ve got such a short time to prepare for the World Cup and that’s why we’re bringing back overseas players, even if they haven’t played 30 Tests. But Vermeulen is allowed to go to Japan and there’s a chance he won’t play in South Africa before the World Cup.
“This is not about vilifying Duane for playing in Japan. But if he is important enough to bring back from Toulon, and consider appointing him as the captain, why would you not have him involved in the next six tests against the best teams in the world? These are the same teams that the northern hemisphere heavyweights are so eager to test themselves against before the World Cup,” White warned.
“I find it incredible that the Bok coach, after two of the worst seasons in team history, is under so little pressure that he’s released the most impactful forward, who he just brought back from overseas. When players are allowed to negotiate where and when they’re available to play for South Africa, that’s how you lose your edge as a rugby powerhouse.”
South Africa host Argentina in Durban on August 18 in their opening encounter of this year’s Rugby Championship.