Former Springbok Duane Vermeulen has revealed that the transition from player to coach has been different to how he expected.

The double World Cup winner enjoyed a legendary playing career for the Springboks littered with trophies. Vermeulen hung up his boots after last year’s showpiece and was immediately drafted into a mobi coaching position with SA Rugby.

While Vermeulen works with a variety of South African teams he could be seen with battle wounds in the middle of the year from getting stuck into training with the Springboks.

Surprise

The great number eight admits he was concerned about how it would be mixing with the coaches more but he was pleasantly surprised.

“The transition has been interesting. I actually thought it would’ve been a whole different thing, being closer to the players and more difficult to slot in with the coaches. It’s actually been the other way around,” he said.

“It was a fantastic welcoming from the coaches and staff. I slotted in quite quickly. You learn quite a lot and you learn quickly. You aren’t a player, but you know the players.

“I’m really enjoying my time. I’m learning on the trot, with every game. It’s been a year since retirement. I love every minute of being in the mix and growing as a young coach.”

Evolution

Vermeulen has been a part of the ongoing evolution of the Springboks side and he used the rise of Ruan Nortje as an example of how Rassie Erasmus and co. are looking to grow the side.

“We are actually experimenting quite a bit,” Vermeulen said. “If you look at a guy like Ruan Nortje, he wasn’t even in the mix at the beginning of the year. We lost a couple of locks and had to look elsewhere. He played really well

“Out of a squad of 45 guys [for the Rugby Championship], we’ve used around 39 or 40. So we did experiment quite a lot and gave guys an opportunity, to see where they are during the year. We gave guys a bit of a taste of international rugby, to see where they are in their journey.

“The coaches have a view of what guys can do and who is still not there yet. Looking forward, there is still a long road to the next World Cup. We are also busy building and getting the right guys in the right spots to get the perfect team.”

The ex-Bok will remember when his team faced Scotland at the World Cup last year and he knows it will be a challenge when South Africa runs out at Murrayfield.

They are definitely going to be up for it. It’s a home match for them, in front of their people and not in a neutral stadium. You want to be up for it when you play at home, you’ve got that pride within you,” he added.

“There’s a few guys who have been brought into their squad who have been playing well at franchise level. If you look back at last season’s [Vodacom URC] champions, it’s Glasgow. They are definitely doing something right, here in Scotland.

“We need to be wary of what we are going to get on Sunday.”