BY DEAN CLOETE
When Ali Vermaak drukked his studs into the Kings Park turf and lowered his head like a watse bull about to storm its prey to scrum against an all-Bok Sharks front-row, no one expected him to come out on top.
But that’s the thing about experience, it gives you an edge when you’re in a tight spot.
Despite the Stormers going down 21-15 to the Sharks last Saturday, the 35-year-old Vermaak left the contest with Sharks props Vincent Koch and Trevor Nyakane with an enhanced reputation.
A veteran who made his Western Province debut back in 2011 already, Vermaak did enough in his comeback from injury to warrant a place in the squad when they host France’s Toulon in the Champions Cup in his hometown Gqeberha this weekend.
Forwards coach Rito Hlungwani was impressed with what he saw from Vermaak over the weekend and told reporters on Monday: “I am happy with how Ali Vermaak played [against the Sharks last weekend].
I thought he operated well. The front-row guys really performed well and the power they got from the back five [was great]...
“We are happy with that picture [we saw in the scrums over the weekend].”
He adds of Vermaak: “Ali is highly experienced and started playing when I was still a player and that’s why I call him madala.
“He is highly experienced and having a guy like that is quite helpful in terms of creating that competition in training and speeding up the training of the youngsters.
“We’re quite happy with the condition he has come back in and we have to credit our rehab team for making sure that he is so prepared that he can operate really well in his first game back.”
Of playing innie Baai, Hlungwani says: “It’s very exciting and nice to take the Champions Cup to the people of the Eastern Cape.”