[2] After the tournament, Van Vuuren was included in a South Africa Schools squad,[3] and he made two appearances for them in the 2013 Under-18 International Series, coming on as a replacement in a 19–14 win over England[4] and starting their 17–13 victory over France.

[6] Despite being limited to five appearances from the bench for UFS Shimlas in their first six matches of the 2015 Varsity Cup, Van Vuuren scored two tries – one on his debut in a 29–all draw against UP Tuks[7] and another in a 24–0 win over UJ a week later.

[10] He remained in the starting line-up for their 21–10 victory over defending champions UCT Ikey Tigers in the semi-final,[11] and for the final, in which the Shimlas beat the NWU Pukke 63–33[12] to win the competition for the first time.

Van Vuuren was a regular for the Free State U21 team during the 2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship, appearing in thirteen of their fourteen matches, making five starts.

[16] Van Vuuren made three appearances off the bench in UFS Shimlas' 2016 Varsity Cup season, with a nine-point try in their Round Two match against UP Tuks proving decisive in a 47–46 win.