Springbok looseforward Duane Vermeulen will only join the squad five days before the opening Test against France because of club commitments‚ which could have an impact on making the run-on Test team.

Vermeulen’s club Toulon qualified for the French Top 14 final after beating La Rochelle 18-15 in the semi-final and will now play Clermont in the showpiece next Sunday.

That would mean the earliest Vermeulen would return to SA is Monday evening.

Considering he has missed all Bok training camps‚ will only have three training sessions with the squad‚ and is required to start out of position at blindside flank to accommodate new skipper Warren Whiteley‚ Vermeulen is unlikely to make the run-on team.

Bok coach Allister Coetzee on Saturday added Sharks flank Jean-Luc du Preez to the Bok squad‚ which was a sure sign that they are planning to play without Vermeulen.

The veteran of 37-Tests has never started on the bench.

When he has been selected‚ it has always been in the run-on team.

With Vermeulen playing the Boks win 71% of the time‚ which is considerably higher than their average historical winning record of 63%.

But the 30-year-old will have to reinvent himself as a blindside flank with Whiteley now guaranteed a starting place as skipper.

The positions are not massively different and Vermeulen will still be a primary ball carrier and a huge defensive and breakdown presence.

But he will have to tighten up his game‚ allowing Whiteley to roam.

Sharks centre Lukhanyo Am has had his Springbok dream put on hold after fracturing a cheekbone during his team’s 22-10 Super Rugby win over the Stormers at King’s Park on Saturday.

Lions centre Lionel Mapoe replaces the promising 23-year-old.

It’s a bitter blow for Am‚ who will undergo surgery later this week‚ but he has proven his worth over the course of the Super Rugby campaign and will no doubt have another opportunity.

The rest of the Springbok team gathered in Plettenberg Bay on Monday to begin preparations for the June series. - TMG Digital/TMG Sport