A fiery presence at the base of the scrum, Lions scrum-half Jano Vermaak possesses all of the classic attributes of a scrum-half. Quick and intelligent, he also has a competitive streak a mile wide.

For the under-achieving Lions he has been a vital presence, along with skipper Cobus Grobelaar, in making them competitive at Super 14 level. A former South Africa U21 international, full Springbok honours have as yet eluded him. Following a brilliant season in 2009 he represented the Emerging Springboks against the British & Irish Lions at Newlands in Cape Town, helping to secure a dramatic 13-13 draw.

A decent bet for Springbok honours on their 2009 tour to the northern hemisphere, Vermaak was ruled out of contention with a season-ending injury.