Toulon to win race to sign Duane?

Cape Town - Springbok No 8 Duane Vermeulen is on the wish list of French and European champions Toulon, ESPNscrum reports.

Toulon are seen as the favourites to sign Vermeulen after the conclusion of this year’s Rugby World Cup.

It was earlier reported that English club Bath were prepared to dish out £450 000 (about R7.8m) per season for Vermeulen’s services, but according to British media reports, Bath have pulled out of the race to sign the Springbok hard-man.

Vermeulen, 28, is expected to be named Stormers captain for the upcoming Super Rugby season after Jean de Villiers was sidelined with a severe knee injury.

Vermeulen had a stellar 2014 season in which he was shortlisted as a World Rugby Player of the Year nominee, before eventually losing out to New Zealand’s Brodie Retallick.

This year's Rugby World Cup, to be staged in England and Wales, runs from September 18-October 31.