Duane Vermeulen reveals the ex-Springbok who Henry Pollock reminds him of and why he wants to make ’10-minute’ comeback

Legendary Springboks number eight Duane Vermeulen admitted that he would not mind coming out of retirement for a brief stint just to face England youngster Henry Pollock.

The Springboks are set to take on England in their opening Nations Championship Test in Johannesburg on July 4.

There has been plenty of hype around that fixture as South Africa are the current world champions and England finished the 2025 international season on a 12-match winning streak and with the best win ratio (92%) of all the Tier One Test nations while the Boks were next best with 86%.

England went on to stretch that winning run to 13 matches when they cruised to victory over Wales in their first Six Nations Test this year but things have gone pear-shaped for the Red Rose since then as they suffered back-to-back defeats against Scotland and Ireland.

Shone at international level

Pollock, who made his first England start in that loss to Ireland, has made a big impact at international level after making his Red Rose debut against Wales in 2025.

His impressive form resulted in him being included in the British & Irish Lions squad on their tour of Australia last year, although he did not feature for the famous touring team during their 2-1 Test series triumph over the Wallabies.

The 21-year-old has certainly divided opinion since bursting onto the scene, with everyone realising his immense talent but some, including opposition players, have not taken well to his on-field exuberance, football-like celebrations and, at times, gamesmanship.

His exciting style of play has led to Japan head coach Eddie Jones recently comparing him to ex-Springboks loose forward and captain Bob Skinstad but Vermeulen revealed that Pollock reminds him of a different ex-Boks back-row star.

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“He is a young kid who obviously has got the opportunity to play. If you look back at Schalk Burger when he came on the scene, with all that long blonde hair, you first saw the hair and then you only saw the tackle,” he said during a press conference in Cape Town on Saturday.

‘He brings excitement to the game’

“But he (Pollock) has got his following and he’s got his people that like him and there’s a hell of a lot of people that obviously dislike him. But he plays and he has an impact and he brings excitement to the game.

“I think it’s going to be interesting when the boys hit the ground in that first Test. I would love to then have a comeback, even if it’s only for 10 minutes.”

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Vermeulen currently serves the game as a coach with SA Rugby’s mobi-unit which includes working with senior Springboks side and believes a player like Pollock is good for rugby.

“He’s fantastic, he brings something special to their team and a massive energy,” he said.

“The nice thing about the youngsters coming in is they bring a lot of energy and push the more experienced guys to stay on top of their game and also push themselves.

“He’s a character on and off the field, but when he plays, he plays his part. I can’t say anything bad about him; he’s a good player.”

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