Vermeulen back for Boks

Just when the All Blacks thought it couldn’t get any worse . . . along comes big, bad Duane Vermeulen back into the Springboks pack for the second Rugby Championship test at Ellis Park.

When it’s hammer time, who better to call on than the 36-year-old, 119kg bruiser they call Thor (for obvious reasons) who will form a fearsome loose trio alongside inspirational skipper Siya Kolisi and the gifted Pieter-Steph du Toit.

This is how deep, how confident, and how good the world champion South Africans are right now. A week after putting up their best margin over the All Blacks in 94 years, coach Jacques Nienaber has made five changes for the Rugby Championships rematch at Ellis Park on Sunday (3.05am kickoff NZT).

And only two of them are forced by injury or suspension.

Undoubtedly the return of 61-cap enforcer Vermeulen at No 8 is the most notable as the Boks look to back up their 26-10 victory at Mbombela Stadium and continue to heap misery on an All Blacks side that has lost five of its last six, and is riding a threetest losing streak in 2022.

Vermeulen had been a spectator through the international season to date as he continued to build back from knee surgery He replaces Jasper Wiese who moves to the bench.

The other rotational changes see Bongi Mbonambi return at starting hooker after Malcolm Marx was given the honour last week to celebrate his 50th test cap, and Ox Nche replaces Trevor Nyakane at loosehead prop. In the two forced switches, the capable Jesse Kriel slots in for the suspended Kurt-Lee Arendse on the right wing, while Jaden Hendrikse starts at halfback after Faf de Klerk was concussed in Mbombela..