Springboks keep the faith in their methods and 'improving' Duane: 'We're still on track'

The struggling Springboks still have unwavering faith that what they're doing will pay dividends in next year's World Cup and that extends to veteran eighthman Duane Vermeulen.

Following his recall for the current Rugby Championship after recovering from a knee operation, the 36-year-old has struggled to make his usual presence felt.

That, to a large extent, is understandable given his lack of match fitness, meaning the real gripe with his selection is just whether he's really required at the moment.

Jasper Wiese has played some the best rugby of his fledgling international career this season and has proven an ideal foil for the nippy Kwagga Smith in the second half.

URC star Elrigh Louw is also in the mix.

Yet Bok assistant coach Deon Davids insists that Vermeulen's presence is vital.

"We took his injury into consideration when he made his return after a long time," he said.

"In his second game [last weekend], Duane already improved in various areas and we look forward to his involvement in this upcoming game and the contribution he and everyone else can make.

"Duane is a quality player, who always makes a big contribution to areas like the set-piece, breakdown and general play. We're just glad to have that experience in our squad."

Asked whether the hitches in the current campaign has eroded some of the Boks' confidence, Davids was relatively emphatic.

"We are quite confident that we're still on track. We're blessed with a lot of talented players, experienced and young. We've always held a longer-term view and we're glad we are striving for winning games while giving opportunities to new players," he said.

"We believe in our game-plan. If you look at last weekend's game, we actually created a lot of chances and unfortunately just