The Vodacom Bulls have signed rising star Ruan Vermaak, the former Junior Springbok lock, to join their ranks at Loftus Versfeld.
Vermaak, who followed former Lions coach Johan Ackermann to Japan and has been playing under his watch at the NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes, played SA Schools and SA under-20s before making the move.
The 23-year-old will join the Bulls on 1 July and is set to offset the impending departure of Sintu Manjezi, who is looking to continue his career overseas.
?? NEW SIGNING ALERT ??
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) March 22, 2022
We are pleased to announce the signing of Ruan Vermaak ?? A versatile Lock/Loose-Forward, Vermaak made a name for himself as an SA U20 star before joining the Emirates Lions and then plying his trade in Japan ??
Welcome to Loftus, Ruan ?? pic.twitter.com/iicKh30Rhp
Vermaak, who is a natural lock, but can play flank and number eight, stands at 2.01m and weighs 118kg and was highly rated before leaving South Africa.
He made his Super Rugby debut for Ackermann’s Lions at the age of 20, and was tipped as a future star and it will be interesting to see how his talent has developed overseas.
“We are excited to have a young, talented and versatile player like Ruan Vermaak joining our ranks as we continue to build and strengthen our squad,” said Vodacom Bulls director of rugby, Jake White.
“We have no doubt that Ruan will add immense value to the team and the future of Vodacom Bulls rugby. We are also confident that he will continue to grow to become one of the top rugby players in South Africa.”
The Bulls are also currently negotiating with Walt Steenkamp, who is also negotiating with overseas clubs at the moment.
While it seems Madosh Tambwe may be on his way to France at the end of the season, there have been several reports linking Springbok S’bu Nkosi to Loftus Versfeld for a move at the end of the season.