'Thor' could still play, says Springbok captain Siya Kolisi ahead of tour finale against Wales

It says everything about the tight-knit group that the Springboks are that legendary former player Duane Vermeulen could yet feature in the season finale against Wales in Cardiff.

It would take an overnight illness akin to the reported illness that allegedly hamstrung the all Blacks ahead of the 1995 World Cup final, or injuries in the warm-up, but Vermeulen is player 24 for the Boks.

Vermeulen, a Springbok assistant coach since retiring as a player after the 2023 World Cup triumph, has trained with a Bok squad that was reduced to 24 players because this game is outside of the international window.

On Friday, Kolisi confirmed that the 39-year-old — well known as Thor — trained as if he had never been away.

“It’s great to have Duane as a coach, but it’s not so nice having to play against him in training,” Siya Kolisi said. “He can still set a maul, still hit hard and challenge us at the breakdown. He could have played this weekend if something happens. It reminds us that he can still do it.”

Kolisi added that “Thor” had been excessively physical in the build-up.

“I didn’t like what I saw from Duane this week. He was trying very hard to take the players out in training!”

The Boks have an internal issue of making sure they up themselves for a game against a Welsh side that has lost 18 of their last 20 fixtures, and their two wins were against tier two team Japan.

“We prepare for everybody the same and treat every game exactly the same. Honestly, we don’t have a good record against Wales as a squad, and we know how tough they are,” said Kolisi.

The Springbok captain added that South African rugby has also been through hard times.

“We’ve been in this position before. In 2015 a lot of senior guys retired at once, and then 2016 and 2017 were really tough. That’s what happens when you don’t change your team.

“What’s been good for us is that we’ve chopped and changed while still wanting to win. The coach never says, ‘It’s OK if we lose.’ We want to win and build squad depth.”

Kolisi said his squad had learned plenty from a challenging season.

“It’s probably the tour where we’ve had the most growth. With all the challenges –— suspensions, red cards – we had to make plans.

“Players stepped up. At half-time, when we had cards, guys would come to the coaches with ideas about who to swap and where.

“That is the good position we are in going in to this last match of the year against Wales.”

“The way we adjusted, listened and adapted without making excuses was big for us. We want to play with 15 men, but we won’t complain – we’ll adjust and play.”