Duane Vermeulen offers his views about the Springboks

Duane Vermeulen hopes he left the Springbok team in better shape he found it almost two weeks ago.

The Boks appeared down and out and their coach teetering on the brink of being fired after being humiliated 38-3 by Ireland two weeks ago.

They have‚ however‚ bounced back with victories over France and Italy alleviating some of the pressure on the coach‚ while giving the team a bit of a spring in its step.

Vermeulen returned for club duty to Toulon on Sunday but not before his impact was keenly felt in the Bok set-up over the last fortnight.

“It was a nice two weeks‚” he said in the bowels of the deeply uninspiring Stadio Euganeo.

“When I joined the team there was a bit of pressure.

"It was nice to get to know the guys and to see what potential is in this side.

"Also to share with them what some of us have been through and what can happen in the future.

“It was nice to be part of this but now also sorry to say ‘goodbye’.

Vermeulen thought the Italians ‘were really good’‚ in particular in the way they took the attack to the Boks.

“It was a difficult game but it was nice to see our defence holding out‚ not conceding any tries.

"I was really happy with that performance and worked at it in the week.

"I’m pretty chuffed with that performance.

“We had a set plan and we really wanted to execute it.

"At certain stages we didn’t execute and we put ourselves under pressure.

"For most of the game when we had the ball we were in control. We knew what we wanted to do and what we wanted to achieve.

“At the end of the day it was a great outcome‚ especially after last year’s game against Italy.

"I’m stocked and chuffed about that performance.”

The win means a lot to the team.

They were in full voice in the change room afterwards.

Even wives and girlfriends were allowed in.

“Hopefully I’m leaving the team with a happy heart‚” said Vermeulen.

“You can’t influence the team in two weeks.

"Hopefully myself and Flo (Francois Louw) left the guys with a little bit to think about.

“I know they are under pressure.

"In South Africa the public is there and never happy with what you do.

"The most important thing is the team must focus on what we want to do and what we want to achieve.

“It can maybe be an ugly couple of years but we know what we want to achieve at World Cup.

" Hopefully the team can take that forward and keep the flag flying.”

Crucially‚ Vermeulen believes now continuity is key.

“Definitely‚ I think once you get that winning taste‚ and there’s a lot of guys who know it‚ you just need to keep building on that.

“That never goes out your system - the wanting to win‚ the wanting to be the best.”

Should‚ or perhaps when Vermeulen returns to the Bok set-up it may be under very different circumstances.

SA Rugby has a new director of rugby in place in Rassie Erasmus‚ and the burly No8 may be required to play a more influential role from next season.