Sale move could ignite Springboks chance - Vermeulen

Jacques Vermeulen has scored two tries in 22 games for Exeter this season

Exeter forward Jacques Vermeulen says his forthcoming move to Sale could ignite his international hopes.

The South African is unable to switch allegiance to play for England as he does not have any British-born family.

After being part of Exeter's Premiership and European Champions Cup-winning side in 2020 he has seen the Chiefs fade away from the top of the table and they will finish this season in ninth place.

But he will join a Sale side aiming for the play-offs this season, and says more big names next season could help his case.

"I still obviously want to play international rugby - if I get the opportunity to one day maybe play for the Springboks that will obviously be a dream come true," he told BBC Sport.

"I do think that obviously new season, new team, I think they've got some really good players.

"If you win trophies and stuff with a team I think that just makes it so much easier for you to get into international set ups.

"We've seen it now with Northampton Saints like Juarno Augustus - he was never in the picture and he goes in a Champions Cup Final and into the Springboks set up.

"It just shows you if you play in finals and semi-finals that opens the door for higher honours."

Vermeulen moved to Exeter from then-Super Rugby side Sharks and has gone on to play more than 100 games for the club.

He has been seen as one of the most consistent back-rows in the Premiership, although his time at Exeter has been punctuated by injuries.

He is one of the last remaining players at the club to have tasted title success, with Exeter's downward spiral since seeing them finish seventh for three seasons in a row before this year's club-worst ninth-placed finish.

"It's been really frustrating," he explains.

"You go through three years where you play every year in finals and you create such good friendships.

"Then you go through one off-season and you basically lose half your mates and all the guys that you basically played with for the last three years.

"You get like a whole bunch of new lads in, then it's quite tough because at Exeter and the university you've got a lot of young lads, it's quite hard to connect with them.

"They're all good lads, but they've got a lot to learn in a rugby sense, how to win games, how to knuckle down on what areas you need to be good at.

"I think that will come for them, but I just thought like when I made the decision 'these lads need to write their own stories'."

In an ironic twist of fate Vermeulen's final Exeter appearance on Saturday will be against his new employers.

Sale need a win to ensure they get into the play-offs for a third successive season.

But Vermeulen says there is no way he will go easy on his future teammates.

"I need to earn their respect now, and I think that's it starts on Saturday and the way I play, that's the only way I'm going to earn their respect.

"I'll be flying into them on Saturday, so I can only try my best.

"But it comes down to earning their respect so I'll just have to go full blaze into it and give it my best shot."