Heading home.

Former Munster boss Rassie Erasmus is on a serious mission save South African rugby and the Springboks, after a torrid few seasons. The national side have struggled, while all but one franchise (the Lions) have struggled in Super Rugby.

Erasmus brought defence coach Jacques Nienaber with him back to South Africa, and has also recruited the services of Munster’s Head of Athletic Performance Aled Walters. His next job is to bring back some of South Africa’s best players from Europe.

Wasps’s Willie le Roux is reportedly one of a number of targets, as is Toulon’s Duane Vermeulen, who has reportedly already agreed a deal to move back home ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

According to L’Equipe, it is now “a certainty” that the 31-year-old will leave French giants Toulon at the end of the season and return to the Stormers. Vermeulen left the franchise back in 2015 in favour of a move to France, with his impending return set to come as a huge boost to South African rugby.