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'I remember sitting with his dad in the office': The Springboks on the Lion that got away

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Getty Images)

Duhan van der Merwe is a Lions player who is set to attract much focus on this year’s tour against the Springboks, the South African-born Scotland recruit heading back to play in his homeland for the first time since he left the provincial Blue Bulls in 2016 and embarked on an adventure that took him to Edinburgh via a one-year Montpellier pit stop.   

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The soon-to-be 26-year-old became Scottish-eligible last year under the three-year residency rule and he went on to enjoy a stellar first season under Gregor Townsend, playing in all ten of Scotland’s matches, starting nine and scoring eight tries – a tremendously impressive strike rate that caught the attention of Warren Gatland. 

Van der Merwe will soon become a Worcester Warriors player, ex-Springboks assistant Alan Solomons tempting him to enlist for a stint in the Gallagher Premiership, and he will head to England fresh from participating in a Lions tour that could leave the Springboks to rue him as one that got away.  

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RugbyPass is sharing unique stories from iconic British and Irish Lions tours to South Africa in proud partnership with The Famous Grouse, the Spirit of Rugby

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RugbyPass is sharing unique stories from iconic British and Irish Lions tours to South Africa in proud partnership with The Famous Grouse, the Spirit of Rugby

It was 2014 when van der Merwe had the ear of South African officials, the winger being a replacement in the Junior Springboks side defeated by a point in the U20s World Cup final in Auckland by an England side that featured current Test team talisman Maro Itoje along with Nick Tompkins and Billy Burns, who have since been respectively capped by Wales and Ireland.  

In time, van der Merwe would also switch allegiance and his imminent return to South Africa to take on his native country was a talking point willingly embraced this week by Rassie Erasmus, the Springboks director of rugby.  

“Jacques (Nienaber, Boks head coach) was the high-performance manager in SA Rugby and he was helping all the teams and the Junior Springboks fell under him. He [van der Merwe] was in the Handre Pollard team that played in New Zealand and lost in the final, so we know him pretty well. I remember sitting with him and his dad in the office discussing his future in 7s and I remember him having trials at the 7s. He played SA schools, SA U20s and I remember sitting with his dad in the office and getting him into the 7s set-up and remember him trialling with the 7s. 

“Not sure why he didn’t make that or what his decision was after that or did he want to go into the 15s game? He has come the full path in SA Rugby and we are not at all in the mindset of because he is not playing here, he doesn’t deserve to play anywhere else. 

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“We feel that if a guy goes over there, like CJ Stander or whoever, good for him. The way he [van der Merwe] has played nobody can argue, and it’s weird in a way – we are proud of him but when we play against him it is going to be tough. We are happy for him. We know him really well and he would obviously know most of our guys fairly well.”

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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