World Cup winner Duane Vermeulen has gone from a “bad spot” in South Africa to chasing European folklore with Ulster.
The Springbok’s decision to swap the Bulls for Belfast in September raised more than a few eyebrows when he signed a two year deal at the Kingspan Stadium.
But seven months later the 35-year-old says he feels at home with the Irish province and believes Dan McFarland’s team is “good to go places”.
Read more: Former Ulster winger Angus Kernohan reflects on historic year with Ealing Trailfinders
He also insists Ulster, who face Toulouse in the second leg of an intriguing round of 16 tie on Saturday night (8pm), aren’t in this season’s Champions Cup to make up numbers.
“You play in a competition not to compete but to win, make memories on the journey and write your own little book,” said Vermeulen.
“This is my chapter. In this squad there is a big hunger for a trophy, so hopefully we can deliver and lift that trophy.”
Asked for the main motivating factor behind his decision to join Ulster and the shock it sparked back in September, Vermeulen replied: “It actually kind of shocked me as well.
“I was just in a bad spot in South Africa, my contract had ended and I was looking at something to go back to Japan.
“This offer came up and I spoke to my wife and said ‘listen let’s do this as a family as a last Hail Mary before I retire’. Hopefully I could come here and contribute on and off the field.
“There would have been one or two (other offers) in the pipeline but I had to make an immediate decision. I could have stayed at the Bulls, but I decided to try something else.
“Life is about experiences and that was the decision we made. I’m enjoying my time here.”
Vermeulen, who won the World Cup with South Africa in 2019, fell short in Europe three times with Toulon between 2015 and 2018.
And he’s eager to make amends with a home quarter-final at stake when Ulster welcome reigning European champions Toulouse to Belfast.
McFarland’s men hold a slender six point advantage from the first leg in France, although Toulouse played 69 minutes of last week’s game with 14 men.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to be a part of a squad that lifted this trophy,” said Vermeulen. “We are within touching distance, but we're not there yet.
“Toulouse are the defending champions and it’s going to be a difficult task for us. But this (Ulster) team is really looking to go places and hopefully something is on the horizon.”
Toulouse captain and world player of the year Antoine Dupont has been passed fit to play after recovering from illness earlier in the week.
ULSTER: Lowry, Baloucoune; Hume, McCloskey; McIlroy; Burns, Cooney; Warwick, Herring, Moore; O'Connor, Henderson, Rea, Timoney, Vermeulen.
TOULOUSE: Ramos; Delibes; Nanai-Williams, Ahki; Lebel; Ntamack, Dupont; Neti, Mauvaka, Faumuina; Ro Arnold, Ri Arnold; Elstadt, Tolofua, Jelonch.
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