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The ante went up a notch between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions with the crucial Test series only 12 days away when centre Lukhanyo Am was named to lead a strong SA “A” side against the tourists on Wednesday night.
Because of a slew of Covid-19 positives over the past 10 days in the Springboks’ camp, coach Jacques Nienaber picked his strongest possible combination. This is essentially a dress rehearsal for the first Test on 24 July against the tourists.
It’s also a defining moment because South Africa “A” will be as close to the Boks’ first Test starting combination as possible due to all the disruptions.
There are only a smattering of players Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber and director of rugby Rassie Erasmus really fear losing for the upcoming series against the British & Irish Lions. And one of them is injured.
Duane Vermeulen, Rugby World Cup final man-of-the-match and the unquestioned rock of the Bok pack, suffered an ankle injury playing in a Rainbow Cup match for the Bulls last Friday night. The full extent of his injury remains unclear although a Bulls source confirmed to
Daily Maverick that he is only likely to be out of action for a “couple of weeks”.
Hopefully, that early assessment is accurate because Vermeulen will be a vital component of Nienaber’s team this winter. The bruising No 8 has been by some distance the best and most consistent loose forward in the country since competitions restarted post lockdown last September. Which is no surprise as he has been nothing short of brilliant throughout his career.