It was at the beginning of the season when Duane Vermeulen was asked what his kids would think of him swopping his mantra of Thor for the Vodacom Bulls adopted superhero status of Captain America.
Vermeulen just smiled and said it would be a challenge but he was sure his kids would adapt.
And while he was known more for his nickname crafted after his exceptional fighting spirit and lookalike for Chris Hemsworth, who plays Hollywood’s version of the comic book hero, there were a few question marks from some about whether he would adapt to the Pretoria team when spending most of his career at the southern “enemy” and captaining the Stormers.
But Vermeulen knows all too well about adapting. From Nelspruit to Bloemfontein to Cape Town to Toulon to Kubota Spears his career has all been about adapting, and still playing the powerhouse game he is well known for.
It’s hard not to see Vermeulen anchoring the Springbok scrum in the World Cup later this year, so much so that he will rest for the last two weeks of the Bulls tour of Australasia.
But when the going has been tough for the Bulls. When things went horribly wrong on the field against the Crusaders two weeks ago, one man stood head and shoulders above the rest in terms of grit, determination and a will to fight to the end.
We shouldn’t have been surprised to see Vermeulen in that role. He has played it all his life.
And when the chips were down against the Rebels this past weekend, and the decisions were going against the Bulls, he was there.
With 38 percent possession and some soft tries let in by his teammates, the frustration started to boil over.
It was Vermeulen who rallied the troops, who kept them calm and kept them knowing where to channel their aggression.
It was Vermeulen who channelled the defence and barked orders up and down the field. He may not have made the most tackles in the game – that honour went to Schalk Brits with 18 – but he certainly put his body on the line.
He was everywhere and his passion and grit shone through as the Bulls turned the statistics on their head by losing everywhere on the field except on the scoreboard.
If there is a player that deserves our player of the week this week it is Vermeulen. There were many candidates, including a massive performance by Pieter-Steph du Toit and an inspirational one by Kwagga Smith in the other games on Saturday.
But for keeping his cool, for keeping his teammates in check and focused on the task of hand, Vermeulen played a massive role in breaking the Bulls losing streak overseas.
He played a massive part in the pack never giving in, for keeping the defences rock solid and for walling off the opposition from the tryline.
They may once have called him Thor, but if rugby continues to see him fight like this for the team he plays for, they may as well call him Thanos.
Vermeulen is a colossus in a Bulls pack. And there is no more deserving player this week of the honour.
The Bulls will be the first to tell you that.
So there you have i t oaks!
