Duane Vermeulen to lead the Bulls
The Bulls' new Director of Rugby, Jake White, officially announced earlier today that Duane Vermeulen will lead the team when they hopefully return to match action next month.
Duane Vermeuelen will lead the Bulls when they return to the field later this year, while he will be assisted by two other seasoned leaders, Arno Botha and Gio Aplon.
This news was announced by the Bulls’ Director of Rugby, Jake White, after the players gathered at Loftus Versfeld last week to start preparing in all seriousness for the remaining part of the 2020 season, which according to indications will last until deep into December.
The 34-year-old World Cup winning no.8 is no stranger to leadership roles as he captained the Springboks against New Zealand in Wellington last year while he also wore the Stormers’ armband in 2015.
Couple this with his experience of both Southern and Northern hemisphere rugby, on top of his never-back-down attitude and dedication to perfecting his craft, and it becomes easy to understand his appointment.
Loose forward Arno Botha and utility back Gio Aplon’s appointments as Vermeulen’s deputies were based on similar calculations with Botha (28) having always been earmarked to have a hand in the Bulls’ leadership since his junior days at Loftus Versfeld where he led the Blue Bulls at various levels including the Currie Cup.
The 37-year-old mercurial and hot stepping utility back Aplon brings a wealth of experience that includes stints at the Stormers, Grenoble and Toyota Verblitz while boasting 17 Springbok caps. He certainly knows how and when to bring the magic on the field. It is this experience that has created a level headed, tactical type of player which will serve the younger backs greatly in the coming seasons.
The Bulls have always had the privilege of having some of the finest leaders in world rugby amongst their ranks and it is no different at present with the likes of Trevor Nyakane, Morné Steyn, Nizaam Carr and Ivan van Zyl all highly capable leaders, both on and off the field.
Vermeulen thanked White for showing faith in him as a leader while encouraging the loyal Bulls supporters during this difficult time.
“It is always a privilege to play a game of rugby and it is one I never take for granted. It’s a massive honour to be appointed captain of this group, especially at this exciting time when so much is expected from us. A huge thank you must go out to Jake and the management team for trusting me with this immense privilege. This year has been a difficult one for many South Africans but rugby will return and when it does the Bulls will be ready to make you proud,” Vermeulen concluded.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
