Rugby Championship
Boks wait on Vermeulen's fitness
ESPN Staff
October 1, 2014
Duane Vermeulen is a doubt for Saturday's game against New Zealand © Getty Images
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South Africa have made one change ahead of their game with New Zealand but are waiting on the fitness of Duane Vermeulen.

Bismarck du Plessis comes in for Adriaan Strauss but Vermeulen is struggling with a rib cartilage injury. He will be given a chance to prove his fitness but if he fails then Schalk Burger will start at No.8 with Warren Whiteley providing cover from the bench.

"It's been good to build some form of continuity and we'll give Duane as much time as possible before making a final call," said coach Heyneke Meyer. "He's been one of our best players in the last couple of weeks and is responding well to medical treatment, but if he can't make it, we can fall back on the experience of Schalk to start at No 8 with Warren coming onto the bench.

"Schalk's impact last weekend was massive, but so was the rest of the bench and we'll be looking for more of the same on Saturday. At hooker, we've decided to rotate Bismarck with Adriaan Strauss, both of whom must rate amongst the best hookers in the world at the moment."

The All Blacks have already tied up the Rugby Championship but Meyer wants his team to finish on a high ahead of the November Tests.

"We're well aware of the massive task that awaits us," Meyer said. "There are areas of the game we know we have to improve on against New Zealand. We'd like to go out there and enjoy the occasion and carry on where we left off against Australia. Hopefully we can get quick ball, like we did towards the end of the Test in Cape Town."

South Africa: Willie le Roux; Cornal Hendricks, Jan Serfontein, Jean de Villiers (captain), Bryan Habana; Handre Pollard, Francois Hougaard; Duane Vermeulen/Schalk Burger, Teboho Mohoje, Marcell Coetzee; Victor Matfield, Eben Etzebeth; Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira. Replacements: Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane, Marcel van der Merwe, Bakkies Botha, Burger/Warren Whiteley, Cobus Reinach, Patrick Lambie, JP Pietersen.

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