Elrigh Louw has recalled how Duane Vermeulen taught him a harsh lesson during a Vodacom Bulls training session.

Louw arrived at the Bulls in 2020 as a fresh-faced 21-year-old after the collapse of the Southern Kings.

During his early years at Loftus Versfeld, Louw was taken under Vermeulen’s wing, as the Springbok No 8 had joined the Bulls after a stint in Japan.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Vodacom Bulls YouTube channel, Louw recalled how, during a contact training session shortly after he arrived in Pretoria, Vermeulen sat him down.

“It was one of my first training sessions at the Bulls. You want to make a mark and at least show everyone what you’re made of,” Louw started.

“Duane was on defence. I was actually not in the training squad. I was running on the sideline and they said I must come on and train.

“I was quite charged up in the moment. I didn’t know how it works, how the contact level works, but it was actually just meant to be a shoulder check. I got the ball from the No 9 and saw Duane and I just put my shoulder down and ran. I don’t think he would’ve missed the tackle if he was ready for it, but I did run through his shoulder.

“Jake said that Duane should go off and go rest. Duane thought, ‘I’m not going off. Watch me.’ Two plays later I was tackling. It was on the five-metre line, near the tryline. I came around the corner and Duane was there, waiting. It was not a shoulder check anymore. He smashed me. I think he smashed me twice.”

Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images

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