Duane Vermeulen Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Duane Vermeulen

Vermeulen in 2012

Full name

Daniel Johannes Vermeulen

Date of birth

3 July 1986 (age 39)

Place of birth

Nelspruit, South Africa

Height

1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)

Weight

108 kg (238 lb; 17 st 0 lb)

School

Hoërskool Nelspruit

Rugby union career

Youth Career
Position(s)	Loose forward
2004–2005	Pumas
Senior career
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2005–2007	Pumas	26	(20)
2007–2008	Free State Cheetahs	28	(10)
2007–2008	Cheetahs	20	(15)
2009–2015	Western Province	38	(35)
2009–2015	Stormers	89	(25)
2015–2018	Toulon	68	(10)
2018–2020	Kubota Spears	13	(15)
2019–2021	Bulls	23	(10)
2020–2021	Blue Bulls	6	(0)
2021–2023	Ulster	34	(15)
National team(s)
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2009	Emerging Springboks	1	(0)
2012–2023	South Africa	76	(25)

Vermeulen playing for Western Province in 2010

Daniel Johannes "Duane" Vermeulen (born 3 July 1986) is a famous former rugby union player from South Africa. He played for the South Africa national team, also known as the Springboks. He also played for many top clubs around the world. These include Ulster Rugby in Ireland, and teams like the Pumas, Free State Cheetahs, and Western Province in South Africa. He also played for the Cheetahs, Stormers, and Bulls in the Super Rugby league. Later, he joined Toulon in France and Kubota Spears in Japan.

Duane Vermeulen was a key player when South Africa won the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He was even named the best player in the final match. He mainly played as a Number Eight. However, he could also play as a flanker. People called him "Thor" because he was very strong. He was also known for catching high balls and being a great leader. Many people think he is one of the best Number Eights in South African rugby history.

Early Life and Family
Playing for Clubs
Playing for South Africa
Achievements and Awards
- International Match Records
- International Tries Scored
Super Rugby Statistics
Interests Outside Rugby
See also

Early Life and Family

Duane Vermeulen was born in Nelspruit, South Africa. When he was about 10 or 11 years old, his father passed away. Duane later married his wife, Ezel, in 2012. They have two sons together.

Playing for Clubs

Duane Vermeulen started his rugby journey with the Free State Cheetahs. He played for them in the Currie Cup and for the Cheetahs in the Super 14 league. In 2009, he moved to the Western Province rugby team. This was a bigger and more competitive team.

He played very well for the Stormers in the 2010 Super 14 season. His team even reached the final match that year. In 2011 and 2012, Duane had some injuries. But after playing only nine Super Rugby games, he was chosen for the Springboks team.

Duane won the Currie Cup twice. First, in 2007 with the Free State Cheetahs. Then, in 2012 with Western Province. He became the captain of the Stormers team for the 2015 Super Rugby season. In June 2015, while recovering from a neck injury, he signed with the French club Toulon. He joined them after the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

After playing for a short time in Japan with Kubota Spears, Duane returned to South Africa. He joined the Bulls team in October 2018. On 16 September 2021, it was announced that he would join Ulster, an Irish team. He played for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship for two seasons. He made his debut for Ulster in December 2021. He left the team at the end of the 2022–23 season.

Playing for South Africa

Before playing for the main Springboks team, Duane played for the Emerging Springboks. In 2009, his team played against the British & Irish Lions and drew 13–13. This was a big moment for him.

Duane made his first official international game for South Africa on 8 September 2012. He played against Australia. The next week, he played against New Zealand. On 29 September 2012, South Africa beat Australia 31–8. This was Duane's first win with the Springboks.

He was chosen for the Springboks' tour to the Northern Hemisphere in 2012. He was named the best player in the match against England. He made many important tackles and carried the ball well. In 2014, he was one of five players nominated for the IRB Player of the Year award.

Duane played in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final against England. South Africa won their third World Cup in Japan. Duane was named the man of the match for his great performance. He carried the ball 10 times and gained 49 metres, which was the most in the game. He also won two turnovers.

Duane was also part of the Springboks team that won the 2023 Rugby World Cup. This was their second World Cup win in a row. Duane Vermeulen announced he was retiring from rugby on 8 November 2023.

Achievements and Awards

Duane Vermeulen has won many awards and titles during his career:

SARU Rugby Player of the Year: 2014
Super Rugby Player of the Year: 2014
Nominee for IRB Player of the Year: 2014
Super Rugby and Unlocked Player of the Year: 2020
SA Rugby Player of the Year: 2020
Currie Cup winner: 2020–21
Rugby World Cup winner: 2019, 2023
The Rugby Championship winner: 2019

International Match Records

This table shows Duane Vermeulen's record when playing for South Africa against different countries.

Against	P	W	D	L	Tri	Pts	%Won
Argentina	8	8	0	0	1	5	100
Australia	11	6	0	5	0	0	54.55
England	9	6	0	3	1	5	66.67
France	4	4	0	0	0	0	100
Ireland	4	2	0	2	0	0	50
Italy	3	3	0	0	0	0	100
Japan	2	2	0	0	0	0	100
New Zealand	15	4	1	10	0	0	26.67
Romania	1	1	0	0	0	0	100
Samoa	1	1	0	0	0	0	100
Scotland	7	7	0	0	0	0	100
Tonga	1	1	0	0	0	0	100
United States	1	1	0	0	0	0	100
Wales	9	7	0	2	1	5	77.78
Total	76	53	1	22	3	15	69.74

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored

International Tries Scored

This table lists the tries Duane Vermeulen scored for South Africa in international matches.

Try	Opposing team	Location	Venue	Competition	Date	Result
1	Argentina	Soweto, South Africa	FNB Stadium	2013 Rugby Championship	17 August 2013	Won 73–13
2	Wales	Durban, South Africa	Kings Park	Mid-year rugby test series	14 June 2014	Won 38–16
3	England	Bloemfontein, South Africa	Toyota Stadium	Mid-year rugby test series	16 June 2018	Won 23–12

Super Rugby Statistics

This table shows Duane Vermeulen's performance in the Super Rugby league.

Season	Team	Games	Starts	Sub	Mins	Tries	Points
2007	Cheetahs	7	5	2	437	0	0	1	0
2008	Cheetahs	13	12	1	949	3	15	0	0
2009	Stormers	13	13	0	1040	0	0	0	0
2010	Stormers	15	15	0	1186	2	10	0	0
2011	Stormers	16	15	1	1178	0	0	1	0
2012	Stormers	8	8	0	640	0	0	0	0
2013	Stormers	10	10	0	791	0	0	1	0
2014	Stormers	16	16	0	1221	1	5	0	0
2015	Stormers	11	11	0	862	2	10	0	0
2016–2018	did not participate in Super Rugby
2019	Bulls	19	19	0	1056	2	10	0	0
Total		123	119	4	9360	10	50	3	0

Interests Outside Rugby

Duane Vermeulen is also involved in several businesses. He has investments in farming, honey, wine, and even bubble tea.

Duane Vermeulen facts for kids

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