Rassie: Boks are two injuries away from playing Duane Vermeulen against Wales

Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus said the team are two injuries away from playing mobi-unit coach Duane Vermeulen during their Saturday afternoon Test against Wales in Cardiff.

Erasmus named a team depleted of many first-choice players for the game, and told media he had formally named prop Ntuthuko Mchunu as his 24th player, and the retired Vermeulen as his 25th.

Cobus Reinach will earn his 50th Test cap, the only backline player in the 7‑1 split bench, and he will cover scrumhalf and wing, though Erasmus said loose forward Kwagga Smith and flanker Ben-Jason Dixon could step into the backline if required.

Vermeulen retired with 76 Test caps after the 2023 Rugby World Cup and is now part of the Springbok coaching structure.

Springboks lose 12, Wales 13

The teams clash at 5pm at Principality Stadium with each side losing players due to the match falling outside World Rugby’s official Test window, while the Boks granted one or two leave to bolster home clubs for the return of the United Rugby Championship.

The Springboks lost 12 players, and Wales lost 13.

The Springboks are still strong favourites having won the four previous Tests on the tour – against Japan, France, Italy and Ireland. They have won 12 of their 14 matches this season, heading into the final game of the year.

Wales have only won two games out of 10, and finished last in the Six Nations without a victory there earlier in the year.

They now come from a 52-26 defeat to New Zealand at home. Before that, they had an unconvincing 24-23 win over Japan, and were thrashed 52-28 by Argentina, also both at home. Wales are currently ranked 11th in the world.

When asked about Wales’ fortunes in recent years, Erasmus regarded their past successes and passion as a people, backing them to find a way back.

He said their much younger squad could potentially prove a problem for the Springboks with their drive to fight for 80 minutes.

“Or we can grind it out if we have the right mindset and eventually try and get away from them on the scoreboard,” Erasmus said.

Springboks ‘forced’ to play 7-1 bench

The Springbok coach said he hadn’t planned to play a 7-1 bench, but the Boks felt obliged to the Japanese and South African clubs to release some players, while their Euro-based players were also ineligible.

“If you look at it, it looks like we wanted to dominate with our forwards. But our hands were a bit forced with this.”

On Reinach’s 50th, Erasmus said the player deserved recognition beyond his contribution on the field.

“I’ve never seen him so involved in planning and tactics,” the coach said. He added that Reinach understood that covering two positions from the bench was best for the team, even though most players making milestone appearances play in the starting XV.