This Was For You, Dad!

The Bok victory was a bittersweet moment for Duane Vermeulen and his family

- Cyril Blackburn

IT’S bound to go down as one of the most enduring images of the world cup: hulking Duane Vermeulen – all 1,93m and 117kg of him – sobbing his eyes out after the Boks won the tournament.

The moment was especially memorable because it was so unexpected – just minutes earlier the determined loose forward had been tearing down the pitch in Yokohama, Japan, unleashing bone-crunching tackles that stopped his England opponents in their tracks. But then there he stood, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Duane (33) later revealed what had made him cry – it was something assistant coach Matt Proudfoot had said to him. As they embraced at the end of the match, Matt whispered in his ear, “This was for him.”

He was referring to the star player’s father. Even though André Vermeulen died when Duane was a boy he’s never far from his thoughts. More than anything Duane wished his dad could be there to share this proud moment and see him being awarded man of the match in a world cup final. And Matt understood this.

“That’s something special to hear from a coach, and when he said that, the tears started rolling and I just couldn’t stop them,” Duane says.

Half a world away in the packed Mustangs bar in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, there was somebody who knew exactly what was going through his mind.

Estelien Vermeulen’s cheeks were also wet with tears after she’d watched her son play the match of his career.

“A mom’s heart can’t bear it. I know what the saying ‘bursting with pride’ means now,” she says.

Ironically, the thing that’s bringing Estelien so much joy is the same thing that once stripped her of hope. Just like her son, her husband was a talented player – but he was cut down by cancer in his prime 25 years ago.