RUCK N ROLL
GAVIN RICH: Colossus Marx shows he can fill gap Vermeulen left
The answer to the question of what the Springboks will do in the Rugby Championship in the absence of Duane Vermeulen has been answered in the closing stages of Super Rugby. That answer is Malcolm Marx. Vermeulen, the glue that kept the Boks together in the 2-1 series win over England, will be missing from the Championship due to Japanese club commitments. His absence will leave a hole to be filled. But the Boks were missing 2017’s South African Player of the Year in the three matches in Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Cape Town. Easily the best Bok player in 2017, Marx playing in the same pack as Vermeulen would have made the hosts particularly formidable. Unfortunately Bok fans won’t have the privilege of watching them play together until the end-of-year tour, but in the meantime Marx, even though they play different positions, will provide a good swap for the big No8 in terms of what he can do, both in terms of impact on play and as a talisman that inspires and emboldens those aro...
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