Friday 23 October 2015 15:28, UK
Saturday's World Cup semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand will be decided inside the head, says Duane Vermeulen.
The Springboks No 8 was hailed "a machine" by team-mate Tendai Mtawarira, but insisted it will be mind over matter at Twickenham.
"I think this week is all mental," he said."We know exactly how New Zealand play and they know how we play. The coaches have already sorted out the way they want to attack and defend and what plays they want.
"So as a player in the squad it definitely just comes down to mental preparation, how you get yourself ready for Saturday. You see the body language of the guys, are you down the slope or happy where you are."
Vermeulen recovered from surgery on his neck in time to spearhead South Africa's World Cup assault and it was his superb run and pass that set up Fourie Du Preez' match-winning try against Wales in last Saturday's quarter-final.
The last three clashes between South Africa and New Zealand have turned on one single score, and Vermeulen revealed the Springboks will spend extra time with psychologist Pieter Kruger this week.
"If you're not happy or right then you get to sit with Pieter [Kruger]," he added. "He'll put you in the right direction, of preparing yourself, either as an individual or in the squad, to do your bit when needed, and just to keep quiet when nothing else is needed.
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"It's not really mental exercises. In front of the group as a whole he gives us a couple of bits of stuff. The first couple of games in the Rugby Championship we played this season there was a tense part between 50 to 70 minutes, 20 minutes where we struggled to get points.
"He showed that to us and after that, you've just really (got) to see it and get that little bit of a mind shift. Suddenly you cannot score tries but you can still score points and build that scoreboard pressure, to put yourself ahead or when you are behind you can keep the boxes ticking.
"We know so much about each other that there's not really a lot to hide. They can always offer something extra, the special moments that turn a game - but we'll be ready."
Springboks prop Mtawarira - nicknamed The Beast - saluted Vermeulen's own stand-out aggression, and backed the loose-forward to make a punishing impression against the All Blacks.
"Duane is a machine, that's what we all like to call him, Jean de Villiers even said it before the tournament started," said Mtawarira.
"We don't need to look anywhere else for inspiration, we've got guys within the team that really inspire us and Duane is definitely one of those figures who inspires all of us by the way he leads on the field.
"So we just have to follow behind and make sure we're right behind him when he's putting his body on the line."
