He had the backing of the public when he first got selected for the Springbok squad, but for Evan Roos one of the most important and inspirational messages of support he received was from the man many people thought he might end up replacing.
That latter scenario never came about, and Roos took the opportunity to remind people just how young he still is when he went in front of an online press conference from Genoa, where he will expect to get his second cap for the Boks coming off the bench in Saturday afternoon’s game against Italy.
“There are obviously quality players in the No8 position in our country, and we have players who have accumulated quite a bit of experience now in Duane (Vermeulen), who is not here with us but still part of the plans, Jasper (Wiese) and Kwagga (Smith),” said Roos.
“That is a nice situation because it means healthy competition, but we also learn from each other. I have learned a lot in my time in the Bok camp from the older, more experienced players. I am only 22 now and I am only just beginning. So I am not concerned about how many games I have played to this point, I am still learning, and it is up to me to do best in training.
“When your opportunities don’t come often it does make it bigger. I made my debut in the second test against Wales, and this is my second game. It is going to be a tough match. Italy are a strong team and they won their last two games and have done well in their last few big matches.”
The man who helped ease Roos’ mind when he was first introduced to life as a Bok was Vermeulen, the highly respected and influential World Cup winner who is at the opposite end of his career to Roos. Indeed, Vermeulen was one of Roos’ boyhood heroes, which made what Vermeulen did for him when he was first selected even more special.
“I wouldn’t say it was a lesson as such that Duane gave me, he just said he will always have my back,” recalls Roos of his first interaction with the veteran No8.
“It was massive to hear from someone who was one of my childhood heroes. I immediately called my dad and told him about it. I said you will never guess who has messaged me to offer his support. It meant a lot, that initial message, and it was nice to know that I was being supported and backed with someone with so much experience.”
That moment would have come not long after Vermeulen had played for Ulster against Roos when the Irish side traveled to Cape Town for a Vodacom United Rugby Championship semifinal that the Stormers won off the last move of the game.
Vermeulen didn’t play for the Boks in the initial stages of the international season as he went after that game for a minor operation, hence the fact that Vermeulen was messaging Roos rather than wishing him personally. But it was a big action on Vermeulen’s part given the hype around Roos, who won the URC Player award for the 2021/2022 season in addition to being a member of the team that won the inaugural competition.
Roos hasn’t kicked on like some people might have expected him to, but he says he has been working hard on the work-ons he was advised to do by Bok coach Jacques Nienaber and his assistants and is hoping to use the Italy game to show that he has made the necessary adjustments.
He’s expecting to be properly tested by what he describes as a good Italy pack when he does come onto the field.
“Italy have a solid scrum, with a good front row, and their loose trio also has threats, so are going to have to be sharp,” he said. “We are going to have to be up for it at the set-piece and the lineouts and the mauls, and we will have to bring the physicality that we normally do. We also have to show Italy the respect that they are due.”