Jano Vermaak
Jano Vermaak, one of South Africa’s most experienced scrumhalves, is believed to be on the Stormers’ shopping list for their 2015 Super Rugby campaign.
Vermaak currently plies his trade for French Top 14 club Toulouse. He is a former SA Under 21 representative who has also played for the SA Sevens side as well as the Emerging Springboks.
The 30-year old was a member of the Springbok squad for most of the 2012 season, with Ruan Pienaar and Francois Hougaard as the two first choice scrumhalves in the squad.
The native of Graaff-Reinet made his Test debut for the Springboks on 8 June 2013 against Italy at Kings Park in Durban. He suffered a hamstring injury in the 62nd minute of that Test and had to be replaced. Since then he has played three Tests for the Boks.
Sport24
Besides having represented Toulouse in 20 games, he has notched up 79 games for the Lions in Super Rugby. Before leaving for Toulouse, he played 29 Super Rugby games for the Bulls.
The Stormers already have tried and tested scrumhalves like Nic Groom, Louis Schreuder and promising youngster Godlen Masimla in their squad.
Groom, 24, is an attacking scrumhalf with a quick service and an aggressive defensive game. Schreuder, 24, is highly regarded by Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer who has invited him to Bok training camps in the past. And even though Schreuder has proven leadership ability, sound decision making and a tactical kicking game, he does not have the slickest service in the business.
Masimla is a nippy halfback who offers a slick service, clears the base of the scrum well and snipes well around the fringes. His has worked hard on improving his kicking game.
Vermaak is a balanced scrumhalf who does the basics really well. He kicks competently, has an eye for the gap and likes to attack the spaces around the fringes. His biggest asset is his vast experience and should add value to the Stormers squad.
Could be quite a solution for the Stormers!
Groom & Schreuder do not inspire much as far as I’m concerned and scrumhalf was always going to be one of the weaker points in the Stormers guise.
Question now is, what will the Bulls do because they are in much the same boat, with Hougie drastically out of kilter, Piet van Zyl who is stale and Rudy Paige who does not exactly inspire fear into anybody! Will the Bulls bring Fourie du Preez back, with an eye on Super Rugby but also to get used to Handré Pollard and or for Pollard to get used to Fourie… with an eye on the World Cup?
Can I see the Bulls just sitting back and doing nothing pro-active… yes I can!
Yes now that the brilliant Brok Harris is no longer their Jano is the second best option
Like this
Gena_ZA wrote:
Brok was a Prop Half at no 10
A dynamic player like Brok would never play scrumhalf
Looks like the Sharks are set to sign Michael Claasens as well.
His massive stature made him take up the slot covered by 9 and 10.
If I show this to my kids they will cry, he is an international hero, on the level of Marvel characters some claim.
In Brok we trust(ed)
5 @ MacroBull:
oh hang on there is also the story about Stormers supposedly interested in Jano Vermaak….
Hi MacroBull, interesting one that, Michael Classens has been away from SA, first in UK now France, for quite a while now, thought he did quite well when he was at Bath and maybe could have had more chances to play for the Boks. No idea how he has been doing in France. The interesting bit for me is often the fans would mention that players nearing the end of their careers would go abroad for a last big cheque, with the signing of the lock Botha from Sarries and this one you have mentioned is that trend beginning to be reversed – ie. are the Sharks going to become the pre-retirement destination of choice for players
In the short term this could be good as they can help the younger players in the squads, and having these players who should be comfortable at Super rugby level means they could rotate the players a bit more and keep them fresh, could especially be handy in this World Cup year, as long as they don’t get too much game time and stand in the way of the development of the up and coming players, in Claasens case am thinking in particular of Reinach.
@ Bullscot:
Claasens has played very little rugby in the last 2 years.
Add to Jano, Claasens there was also reports of the Bulls negotiating with Fdp, though not much has been said since November.
The Claasens one is a completely unsubstantiated rumor it has to be said.
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