Vermeulen saga an eye-opener

The latest saga surrounding the movements of Springbok No 8 Duane Vermeulen might have just opened a brand-new can of worms. Vermeulen is seen as a crucial part of the Springbok planning for next year’s World Cup in Japan and the value he adds to the national cause should never be taken lightly.

At first it was thought he was going to cut his French connection short in order to return to his former home in Cape Town due to his close relationship with Saru Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus. But now it has emerged that he is ending his Toulon contract because he was forced to take a pay cut because he wasn’t going to be paid any longer for the time he spends away from the club like through international commitments.

There’s a lesson to learn to all overseas players that their bosses aren’t simply going to be content with paying huge salaries if they don’t get proper value for their investments.

Already New Zealand’s Liam Messam and the Bok Uzair Cassiem have been linked to replace Vermeulen at the rich French club, with Vermeulen instead heading to Japan.

Naturally players plying their trade in Japan are more in the Bok spotlight because they are still available for Super Rugby whereas the Europe-based players are not because their competitions are clashing with Super Rugby.

But the tricky part is that while Vermeulen will be available for the June series against England and the November outgoing tour, he won’t be available for the Rugby Championship, which is hardly ideal.

With 39 Tests under his belt Vermeulen however qualifies for the 30-Test rule for a non-World Cup year for foreign players, but he won’t be able for instance to challenge Warren Whiteley for the Bok captaincy as the skipper has to be based locally.

Vermeulen’s pending exit from Toulon also puts Lionel Mapoe and Jan Serfontein’s unavailability for the Bok tour in November in context. At the time Serfontein just joined Montpellier and stated that he needed time to settle, while Mapoe’s Japanese club required his full commitment.

Overseas players aren’t simply playing there just for the sake of the currency, but they are also required to show the required commitment.

Their bread aren’t simply going to be buttered on both sides.