Vermeulen happy to don Bok jersey again after watching Ireland loss from stands

Duane Vermeulen was an interested onlooker in South Africa's defeat by Ireland in an epic World Cup Pool B match, sat next to Rassie Erasmus in the coaches' box for the nail-biting loss.

As director of rugby, Erasmus, along with head coach Jacques Nienaber, actively encourage Springbok players to attend coach meetings and, in this case, make the transition to the tribune.

"It's good for us as coaches to sometimes have a player there because they give us a different perspective of how our communication is within the team," said Nienaber.

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"They get a sense of the sometimes frustration that coaches are under in a coaches' box. That grows them as a player."

Vermeulen, man-of-the-match when the Boks beat England to win the 2019 World Cup final, described watching the 13-8 defeat by the Irish from the coaches' box as "crazy".

"It was nice to be up there, but it's also daunting to be up there. I actually enjoyed it, it was good fun," said the 37-year-old.

The robust backrow forward said the mingling between coaches and players offered "a nice dynamic".

"We learn a little bit, but they also see how we might think about the game."

But Vermeulen, who has played club rugby for Toulon, Kubota Spears and Ulster, outside South Africa, added: "I would definitely love to be on the pitch, that's the most important thing, that's what it's all about.

"The worst thing was just sitting there and you can't do anything. When you're on the pitch you're still part of the game, you can still make a change or change the outcome of the game.

"At the top, you give the players the info and what you want and what you see, then it's up to the guys on the field.

"I