Ashfak Mohamed
WESTERN PROVINCE loosehead Alistair Vermaak is one of those old-school props. And that is meant as a compliment.
Many modern-day front-rowers hit the big time way before they are ready. Some, like Steven Kitshoff, even come straight out of school and go into Currie Cup and Super Rugby.
Of course, like with any position, you do get the exceptions, such as Frans Steyn, Johan Goosen and Handré Pollard. And in terms of props, just a few months ago we saw former Paarl Boys High star Thomas du Toit burst on to the scene for the Sharks in Super Rugby after a strong IRB Under-20 Championship for the Junior Springboks.
But generally, props need to serve an apprentice to learn the dark arts of the scrum. That is perhaps why someone like Frans Malherbe has had so many injuries in the last two years – he only turned 23 in March this year, but made his Super Rugby debut for the Stormers in 2011 already.
Kitshoff is a year younger than Malherbe, but also made his Stormers bow in 2011, and is also out for the rest of the season due to a torn ligament in his foot that required an operation. And that problem was preceded by a knee medial ligament tear. It is no coincidence that these injuries flared up as Kitshoff has had a heavy workload over the last two years.
Coenie Oosthuizen is yet another young prop who was pushed to the top early in his career, and he is struggling with serious neck issues that may even threaten his future in the game.
WP No 1 Vermaak, though, has had to wait probably longer than what he should have for his opportunity at senior provincial level. A highly-efficient operator who gives away very few scrum penalties (something that is crucial in today’s game, where referees seem to be penalising props heavily), and is a busy defender around the fringes, the 25-year-old is also not shy to run over the opposition with the ball tucked under his arm either.
But he had to spend many cold winter afternoons playing club rugby for Maties, while he also represented Province at Under-19, Under-21 and Vodacom Cup level. Yet he never got the call-up to the Currie Cup side, let alone the Stormers.
Vermaak persevered, though, and his big day finally arrived on Saturday, May 10 this year when he made his Stormers debut as a replacement as Oli Kebble was also injured. But it wasn’t just any game – the Bulls at Loftus. “I made my debut against the Bulls there in Pretoria, at Loftus. It was a big day for me! My nerves were shot, as it was also my debut and it was a big game for us. The coach told me beforehand that I was going to get gametime,” Vermaak told the Cape Times this week.
“Mike van der Spuy and I were roommates, and we were together on the bench. So we chatted the night before and he was just as nervous as I am – we were really stressed out! But we supported each other and gave each other strength, and we still joked that we must be ready from the start in case someone got injured early in the game.
“And as it happened, Brok Harris got injured in the first 30 minutes, and I had to go on! It felt great, and the game went well. I just got very tired, but otherwise it well all right. The first play when I came on was a scrum, so I was straight into the game because there was immediate contact.
“I have become very comfortable among the guys as well as they made me feel welcome. The trust that they place in you gives you confidence – they back you.”
Vermaak hails from Port Elizabeth, where he attended Hillside High, but he was lured to Welkom’s Harmony Sports Academy on a scholarship and he completed his schooling at Hentie Cilliers in the Free State.
He turned out for the Griffons Craven Week side, which is where the Western Province scouts spotted him and brought him to Cape Town after matric, and he was signed up to the WP Institute in Stellenbosch in 2008. He also studied sports and marketing management at Maties.
So Vermaak has been in the WP system for seven years, but he has no hard feelings about his lengthy wait for a breakthrough into the senior team.
“For me, it’s like something that I achieved because it’s something that I’ve been working towards for the whole time that I have been here, and I’ve been patient and working hard. So, to achieve this goal and see it come true is something big for me – it’s a big milestone in my life,” he said.
“This is now my seventh year in the structures of Western Province, and it’s just patience and hard work that has paid off.
“I just set personal goals for myself, and I always knew what I’m working towards, which was to play professional rugby and Super Rugby. My dream was to play for the Stormers and WP, and it has become true at the end of the day.
“It was also exciting to play in my home town recently against the EP Kings. The family and friends in PE all wanted to come and watch me when we played against the Kings – I had to organise a lot of tickets! Their support is great, and without my parents, I don’t know where I would’ve been.”
Forwards coach Matthew Proudfoot has been impressed with Vermaak’s performances, especially his scrummaging, which he describes as “neat and tidy”. Coetzee stated that Vermaak is “a loosehead who does the dirty work well – he cleans well, he’s effective at mauling, at the breakdown and on defence”.
Vermaak is not the biggest loosehead around at 1.79m and 113kg, so he has to rely on a good technique, and it has been beneficial as he is seldom penalised by referees at the scrums. “I focus on my basics, getting my bind up and just keep scrumming straight – give away as few penalties as possible. The coaches give you a target before the game, and we must try to give away less than 10 penalties in a match (for the team as a whole),” he said.
“So it also helps you to scrum more safely and to do the basics right. Without there being a real hit in the scrums anymore, it is about technique and how well you scrum together as a pack.
“My hero was always Os du Randt while growing up, but he has been retired for a long time now. I just watched all good rugby players, and didn’t particularly follow anyone. I used to steal with the eye and learned from all the guys – how they scrum, what they do in the tight-loose.”
Tomorrow Province take on the Bulls, so with Vermaak returning to Loftus Versfeld, it’s a full circle of sorts for him from his Stormers debut in May. Kebble has started training again and should be able to play in about two weeks, which means that Vermaak cannot relax and needs to make another strong statement against Werner Kruger in the scrums this weekend.
“Loftus is always a big game, and the Bulls will come for us. Everybody played three games and got a feel for the teams. We trained very well this week and feel positive about the scrums, but we know it’s going to be a tough challenge,” he said.
“My goal at the moment is to just stay fit and play my best rugby every week. The decision of who plays is in the hands of the coach, but you want to play in every game and I just want to give my best.”