TWICE WORLD CUP winner with South Africa and former Ulster player Duane Vermeulen has retired from rugby at the age of 37. 

The No 8, who played for Ulster for two seasons up to the close of the last campaign in the spring, earned 76 caps with the Springboks over 11 seasons.  

He started 68 of his Tests in the No 8 jersey, played three times at flanker and five times off the bench, scoring three tries for South Africa.

Vermeulen made his Test debut against Australia in Perth in 2012 and concluded in the World Cup Final against New Zealand in Paris last month. He won the SA Rugby Player of the Year Award twice, in 2014 and 2020.

At provincial level, Vermeulen won the Currie Cup with three different unions, the Cheetahs (2007), Western Province (2012) and the Bulls (2020).

Vermeulen also played club rugby for Toulon (2015-2018), the Kubota Spears in Japan (2018-2020) and Ulster (2021-2023).

“Duane will forever be regarded as one of the real hard men of South African rugby – he was not only a formidable force for the Springboks but also a multifaceted player who consistently delivered his best,” said Mark Alexander, President of the South African Rugby Union.

“Duane made a massive impression wherever he went, and looking at his achievements all over the world, it’s clear that he was not only a Springbok great, but a superb ambassador for South Africa.”