Former Springbok No.8 Duane Vermeulen says rookie loose- forward Ben-Jason Dixon is knocking down the Bok door.
Dixon earned a surprise late call-up to wear the No.7 jumper in South Africa’s 33-7 win over Australia in Brisbane after the late withdrawal of lock RG Snyman saw Pieter-Steph du Toit moving from flank to the second row.
And after watching Dixon make 21 tackles and flick the ball to Eben Etzebeth in the now famous lineout move to set up Siya Kolisi’s try, Vermeulen says: “Pieter-Steph has been there [as the No.7] for a number of years and you know what he can bring to the table.
“It is nice to see Ben-Jason Dixon and Elrigh [Louw] grabbing their opportunity to start. It was great to see those guys stepping up and raising their hands to say: ‘Listen we are not just contenders, we are guys that’s knocking down the door’...
“It’s nice to see the guys compete for the jersey and for a position in the squad and that is what builds the strength of the squad.”
Of coming up against a wounded Wallabies team in the second Rugby Championship clash in Perth this weekend, Vermeulen, who is part of the Bok backroom staff, says: “They are in a difficult spot, but I am sure they are gonna come back harder...”
