Duane scoops major awards

Springbok players and South Africa as a country might have to come to terms with the idea that the British and Irish Lions tour may take place in the United Kingdom, said star Bok No 8 Duane Vermeulen.

As Bulls captain, the 33-yearold Vermeulen led his team to the Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup double and was yesterday named as the 2020 SA Rugby Player-of-the Year, as the Bulls predictably dominated the awards.

“It is actually difficult to give my thoughts because we would love the British and Irish Lions to tour SA,” said Vermeulen.

“You only get them touring here every 12 years and I think for our economy and that amount of tourists coming into our country and spending money, it would have been fantastic,” he said.

However, the Covid situation in SA makes it almost impossible, with fans still not allowed at the stadiums, while the vaccination programme over in the UK is much further advanced than here.

“It would be a pity if it didn’t happen in SA, but we need to adapt, and in the past two years we have already adapted to a whole lot of different scenarios that the pandemic has thrown at us,”

“If it happens and we have to go and play there, we can’t really do anything about it.”

Vermeulen said it was important right now to just prepare well and go out and play the game.

“We haven’t played any Test rugby for so long and I think if anything can be arranged, it doesn’t matter where, we must make it happen,” he added.

Vermeulen also got a second award – the Super Rugby/Unlocked Player-of-the-Year,

Bulls coach Jake White was named Coach-of-the-Year, Cornal Hendricks as Currie Cup Playerof-the-Year and Stedman Gans as Sevens Player-of-the-Year.

The only non-Bulls awards went to the Wandisile Simelane (Lions), the Young-Player-of-theYear, and Jaco Peyper who was the Referee-of-the-Year.