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Duane Vermeulen fights off Billy Vunipola challenge to be crowned world's best No. 8

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Springboks star Duane Vermeulen has been voted the world’s best No. 8 by fans around the globe after dispatching England powerhouse Billy Vunipola in a poll on social media.

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The experienced 33-year-old claimed the victory with a winning margin of 54 percent on RugbyPass‘ Facebook and Instagram accounts as part of the Straight 8 Fan Vote campaign to determine the best player on the planet in each position.

Vermeulen and Vunipola were left as the last two players standing in the third and final round of the knockout bracket after having fought off the challenges of some big names in the prior two rounds.

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After having thrashed Argentine behemoth Javier Ortega Desio with 92 percent of the vote, Vermeulen romped home in similar fashion against South African-born Irishman CJ Stander with more than 75 percent of the public’s backing in the semi-final.

On the flip side of the draw, Vunipola defeated barnstorming Welshman Taulupe Faletau after accruing 75 percent of the vote, before going on to thump another Welshman in Ross Moriarty with well over 80 percent of the fans’ approval.

In the end, though, it was the 54-test Vermeulen – who claimed man-of-the-match honours in last year’s World Cup final – who proved to to be too good for Saracens star Vunipola, with fans inducting the Kubota Spears recruit into the RugbyPass Straight 8 Fan Vote World XV.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-6ceYkAcBl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

He joins an elite group of players already voted into the side, which includes fellow South African and reigning World Rugby player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit and All Blacks tyrant Ardie Savea in the loose forwards.

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Vermeulen and du Toit aren’t the only Springboks in the squad, with wing Cheslin Kolbe and lock Eben Etzebeth also featuring alongside Fijian flyer Semi Radradra, towering Englishman Maro Itoje and Scotland skipper Stuart Hogg.

The sixth instalment of the Straight 8 Fan Vote is due to get underway in the coming days.

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J
JW 1 hour ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

Even the 20/30 cappers did too I reckon.


IDK, I think Jordan has a limited life span in this side unless he can develop more to his game. Like you go on to mention, I think theyres more important things to worry about than the effectiveness of someone's extra strings, or secondary components to their game.


Bash backs are Fosters thing, and to a large part they've made it work. Theyre now one of the best teams in the world.


They boy's trucked it up a bit against Italy in the redzone, and against France, wasn't that effective without the right players probably.


Try and take a look at it this way. Dissapointed Havili and Blackadder were in the side? Havili despite clearly shown that he can't do what the team needs at 12 was kept on for the RWC. Back goes down and he brings in Blackadder who doesn't play. Refuses to drop Christie when he should and look who starts this season. Beauden Barret not playing well enough to keep his 10 jersey but we gotta keep him in the side. Weve only got one 8, we stuff developing another I'll just play Ardie every game.


This years team wasn't burdened overly with injuries but they were in every position Razor might have wanted to try and development, severely limiting options. I'm not defending Razor as there was also plenty of other opportunity to make up for it and he was a little gunshy, but I'm also not going to overly criticise him because he chose cohesion over a black slate.

How long are we going to keep blaming All Black failings on Ian Foster.

I think more and more people are on board with it being time to try alternatives, but then again, how would they have reacted to a loss against Italy? 😉

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