Evergreen Vermeulen remains Boks' go-to captain: 'It wasn't a tough decision'

Need a temporary captaincy solution before a World Cup? Enlist the eldest member of your squad.

Duane Vermeulen's remarkable longevity will once again be on show when he leads the Springboks in their Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies at Loftus on Saturday afternoon ... at the ripe age of 37.

The stalwart eighthman, as it turns out, was an obvious choice for the role, one he also fulfilled in the build-up to 2019's World Cup-winning campaign when Siya Kolisi, too, was injured.

Paradoxically, that his candidacy wasn't obvious is because there is no shortage of suitable leaders in the Springbok group.

"In terms of captaincy, it's actually not a tough decision," Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber said from the side's base in Pretoria on Tuesday.

"We know Siya is our regular captain, which means we'll have a few interim captains before his return. We are fortunate that we have a band of leaders who make really good captains - Eben Etzebeth, Lukhanyo Am and Steven Kitshoff. 

"But it wasn't too taxing. We're happy with Duane and the brand of leadership that he provides. We know what he's about." 

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche

Substitutes: 16 Joseph Dweba, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Evan Roos, 21 Deon Fourie, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Damian Willemse

Part of that package is Vermeulen's ability to toe an effective line when communicating with referees, an issue that - regardless of its merits - has become synonymous with the Boks over the past two years. 

"He