3. NUMBER EIGHT: Ben Earl vs Duane Vermeulen
Another immense contest in this weekend’s Rugby World Cup semi-final comes in the back row, between England’s Ben Earl and South Africa’s Duane Vermeulen. The two powerhouses come into the match with polarising international tenures. Vermeulen is looking for back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles to send him off into retirement, whilst Earl is making his mark, having been overlooked by the England set-up for far too long in his career.
Earl has battled his way into the England team, after repeated set-backs during the Eddie Jones era. He got his long awaited break-through in the 2020 Six Nations, but had fallen out of the international fold entirely, by the 2022 Championship. Earl more than proved his point by winning the 2021/22 Premiership Player of the Year Award, beating the likes of Danny Care and George Ford to the prestigious prize.
However, despite his best efforts, it took a changing of the management to bring Earl into the England set-up. Steve Borthwick called upon the Saracen for his 2023 Six Nations squad, and awarded him two caps to find his feet in the England pecking order. However, it took a suspension to Saracens’ teammate Billy Vunipola for Earl to excel, as Borthwick ran the predominant flanker out at number eight in the Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina. Earl bossed the match against Los Pumas, and has not looked back since.
Earl played a storming match against Argentina, and has been a stand-out feature of ever Rugby World Cup game he’s since played in. His best performance in an England shirt came last weekend against Fiji, as he made 14 carries and 11 tackles against the Pacific Islanders, for a Man of the Match showing. He’s certainly hit top gear in time for the semi-finals, with veteran Springbok Vermeulen set for a fiery confrontation with his opposite man.
Whilst 25-year-old Earl has his eyes on being Vunipola’s successor in the England eight jersey, 37-year-old Vermeulen wants the perfect end to his last ride with the Springboks. Having left Ulster at the end of the 2022/23 United Rugby Championship season, Vermeulen is yet to sign with a new club, and has hinted at taking up a coaching role following the Rugby World Cup. The 63-capped Springbok was an integral part of the South African side which won the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with his bruising carries and defensive work rate being stand out aspects of his game.
Vermeulen also brings a level head to the Springboks team, and was recently praised by South Africa legends Victor Matfield and Schalk Burger, on how he calmly organised his troops in the narrow quarter-final win over France. Contrastingly, Earl relishes the little victories that contribute to a win, with every penalty getting a resounding cheer, be it at the breakdown, maul or at scrum-time. Call it over-celebrating, or call it passion, Earl ignites a frenzy within his England teammates, that helps them win the mental battle.
Vermeulen will be aware of this. The veteran knows all the tricks in the book, and could well be out to get under the skin of his opposition eight-man. The Springboks are fabled for their a regimented assaults in attack, and industrial-strength defence with Vermeulen at the helm. This Saturday’s semi-final has the Springboks running out as favourites, however a fired up Ben Earl will be out to change the narrative, and lead the fight for England to reach back-to-back Rugby World Cup Finals.