Springboks great Duane Vermeulen hints at coaching switch after the Rugby World Cup

Springboks back-row Duane Vermeulen admits that he could turn his hand to coaching when he hangs up his boots.

The number eight is now 37 but is still a key part of the South African squad and will play his third game of the Rugby World Cup against Tonga on Sunday.

Vermeulen is currently without a club after leaving Ulster and appeared to confirm that 2023 was his last year as a player.

Retirement on the cards?

In June, he was quoted as saying: “I would love to be a part of it (the World Cup) and end my career on a proper high.”

Nothing official has been announced, though, and the back-rower has been linked with a return to the Bulls, which he reportedly turned down.

Vermeulen was seen alongside the likes of Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber during the Boks’ 13-8 defeat to Ireland last weekend and, as a result, the number eight was asked whether he had considered a move into coaching.

“You never know. If you had asked me this a couple of years ago, I would have probably said no,” he said. “But when you finish, you want to give back to the younger guys.

“If the opportunity arises, if there is a possibility, then I would love to stay in the game. I would like to help younger guys, younger players.

“You never know where life takes you. But I love this game and it is difficult to step away when you have been in it for so long. It has been 19 years playing professional. It has been a good ride and it is not the end yet. So, hopefully, there is more to come.”

Vermeulen also stated that his time in the Springboks coaching box was a great learning experience.

“It was crazy. As the coaches already said, they gave opportunities to players to sit in coaching meetings. Everyone is welcome to sit in these meetings. They also give some players the opportunity to come up in the coaching box,” he added.

“We see and watch the game from a different angle. We also see how the coaches look at the game and it brings you a different perspective to the game as a player. Players think about the game differently as coaches during this specific time so, for us, it is a nice dynamic.

“It makes us learn a little bit and shows us how we might think about the game. [Against Ireland] we knew what we wanted to do and achieve, and we had our opportunities. It is also daunting to be up there, but I actually enjoyed it. It was good fun.

“But I would rather be on the pitch. I love it, that is the most important thing. That is what it is all about.”

The difficulties as a coach

Although Vermeulen enjoyed the chance to learn the ropes, he admitted to feeling helpless by not being amongst the action on the field.

“The strangest thing was to be sitting there and not being able to do anything. When you are on the pitch, you are part of the game, and you can still make it change. You can change the outcome of the game,” he said.

“But when you are at the top, you give the players the info on what you want and what you see, but it is still up to the players on the field. That is the difficult part of being a coach. You can’t do anything about the outcome of the game.”

READ MORE: South Africa v Tonga preview: Springboks to bounce back with emphatic victory