He put me over once or twice. “Selecting a Lions squad is never easy and, in many ways, this has been the most challenging selection I have been involved in. He proved a constant menace to the England defence right up until the final whistle, carrying seven times for 39 metres, as Scotland prevailed 11-6 to clinch the Calcutta Cup. Duhan van der Merwe, brother of Springbok hooker Akker, is the only South African-born player in the British and Irish Lions squad announced on Thursday. Taking a closer look at Van Der Merwe’s exploits, the younger brother of Bok hooker Akker, was born in George in the Western Cape and attended Outeniqua High School. Duhan van der Merwe returns for Munster showdown. Lewin named as Official Formal Wear Partner for the 2021 Lions Tour . Here’s a roadmap of how he worked his way into contention for selection. 2. Forwards (21): Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Jack Conan (Ireland), Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Tom Curry (England), Zander Fagerson (Scotland), Taulupe Faletau (Wales), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Jamie George (England), Iain Henderson (Ireland), Jonny Hill (England), Maro Itoje (England), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales, captain), Wyn Jones (Wales), Courtney Lawes (England), Ken Owens (Wales), Andrew Porter (Ireland), Sam Simmonds (England), Rory Sutherland (Scotland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Mako Vunipola (England), Hamish Watson (Scotland). c.type = "text/javascript"; c.async = !0; c.id = "CleverNTLoader45247"; c.setAttribute("data-target",window.name); c.setAttribute("data-callback","%%VIEW_URL_UNESC%%"); Date published: October 9 2020. } catch (e) { Should you play for the Scotland against the Boks, where will the Van der Merwe family loyalty lie? Van der Merwe – the brother of Springbok hooker Akker – has been a sensation for Edinburgh in the Guinness PRO14, and tops several of their stats after a disrupted season. Backs (16): Josh Adams (Wales), Bundee Aki (Ireland), Dan Biggar (Wales), Elliot Daly (England), Gareth Davies (Wales), Owen Farrell (England), Chris Harris (Scotland), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Conor Murray (Ireland), Ali Price (Scotland), Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales), Finn Russell (Scotland), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Anthony Watson (England), Liam Williams (Wales). 1. Van der Merwe, the younger brother of Springbok hooker Akker, has been outstanding for Edinburgh over the last four years, which earned him selection to the Scotland Test … He could soon potentially play against his brother Akker on the Lions tour of South Africa. Duhan van der Merwe was born 4 June 1995 in George, South Africa. ... Van der Merwe’s brother, Akker, is a South Africa international who won three caps in 2018. Van der Merwe was named Guinness Pro14 Players’ Player of the Season for 2019-20. But he made his big breakthrough at Edinburgh, where his powerful runs down the left wing and try-scoring exploits saw him made his Test debut for Scotland against Georgia last October. talkSPORT wins exclusive rights to broadcast Lions Tour . He has earned 10 Test caps and scored eight tries, which has caught the eye of Lions coach Warren Gatland. Van der Merwe demonstrated his raw strength as he muscled his way through three tacklers to dot down in the corner from 10 metres out, following a slick passing move. Van der Merwe wing also represented South Africa at U20 level in the 2014 Junior World Championship. Gatland showed loyalty to his long-serving Welsh stalwarts such as captain Jones, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau amongst the forwards, while some surprises include Chris Harris of Scotland and Sam Simmonds of England. RIGHT: Springbok Faf de Klerk. … van der Merwe then helped the Sharks to the Currie Cup Final and in December he signed a two year extension which will see him remain with the side until the end of the 2019 season. As debut Guinness Six Nations go, Duhan van der Merwe’s was a spectacular success. Akker made his 50th Super Rugby appearance in the 2017 Super Rugby final against the Crusaders. He showed his variety with the opening try of the match, burrowing over the line from a metre out on 14 minutes after a well-executed lineout move piled pressure on the hosts. He stands at 6ft 4in (1.93m) and weighs 16st 10lb (106kg). Scotland winger Duhan van der Merwe tells BBC Scotland about how he and Finn Russell are enemies turned friends, a potential Lions call, and his move to Worcester Warriors. He wasn’t. }); COVID-19 Corona Virus The 25-year-old Duhan van der Merwe, younger brother of Springbok hooker Akker, will return to his native country to potentially front the Boks. iol.co.za - CAPE TOWN - South African-born Duhan van der Merwe has made the cut for the 37-man British and Irish Lions squad for the upcoming series against the … ALSO READ: The British and Irish Lions tour isn’t just about making money. While his name was missing from the scoresheet in the 25-24 round-two defeat by Wales, Van der Merwe continued to fire as he racked up 103m from 10 carries. A year later, he … Scotland’s Duhan van Der Merwe finished the Six Nations as the tournament’s top try scorer. Life has changed quickly for Van der Merwe. ... Duhan van der Merwe. South African Resource Portal, How Saffa forced his way into Lions selection, having beat a tournament-record 31 defenders, ended their 38-year wait for a victory at Twickenham. “I owe Duhan a lot of beers. mode: 'alternating-thumbnails-a', Representing four nations & millions in the #SeaOfRed…, Here is our official #LionsRugby 2021 squad… pic.twitter.com/g0kVpyol9b, — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 6, 2021. })(document, window); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; Youth Although born in Vanderbijlpark, Van der Merwe grew up in George, where he played rugby for Outeniqua High School to win inclusion in the SWD Eagles Under-16 side for the 2007 Grant Khomo Week and their Under-18 side for the 2008 Academy Week and 2009 … “It says he was named after a guy who used to play the clarinet, Acker Bilk. He is the brother of Lions hooker Akker van der Merwe. “We believe we’ve picked a squad capable of winning a Test series in South Africa,” Gatland said on Thursday. March 30, 2021 9:00 am (GMT) Share this article: by Andy Baber . First things first, big Duhan van der Merwe, of Edinburgh and Scotland via George in the Western Cape, wants to clear up a few things. One Lions player who will attract much focus in South Africa is Duhan van der Merwe, the soon-to-be 26-year-old Scotland winger who was born in George and represented the Junior Springboks before finding rugby fame and fortune in the northern hemisphere where he will soon move from Edinburgh, the Guinness PRO14 club where he made his name, to … a = parent.document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0] || document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; “However, we are very happy with the squad we have assembled, and look forward to meeting up in Jersey in just over a month’s time to start our preparation to take on the world champions. Over the course of the last three weeks, the coaches and I have rigorously debated each position. Benetton head coach Kieran Crowley and his coaching staff have retained most of the starting line-up that did well in their away match … Van der Merwe’s familiarity with South Africa would have helped him, as he played junior rugby for the South Western District Eagles in George and senior rugby for the Blue Bulls in 2016, before moving to Montpellier in France a year later. Since making his debut against Georgia last October, Van der Merwe has won 10 Test caps and scored eight tries. 2:07am, 07 May 2021. After three consistent seasons in the Scottish capitol, Van der Merwe qualified for Scotland through the residency law and has been on a upward trajectory since. Duhan van der Merwe has been in explosive form for Edinburgh this season. The signing of Van der Merwe represents a major coup for Warriors and director of rugby Alan Solomons believes that the powerful 25-year-old will prove to be a crowd-puller at Sixways. He is the older brother of winger Duhan van der Merwe, who also played Craven Week rugby for SWD Eagles and were included in the South African Schools sides in 2012 and 2013. News. container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', ALSO READ: Wales stalwart Alun Wyn Jones to captain British and Irish Lions on tour to SA. Armand H P 'Akker' van der Merwe (born 17 June 1991 in Vanderbijlpark) is a rugby union player for English Premiership side Sale Sharks. His first try came in the 13th minute following a scything break from Huw Jones before the ball was recycled to Van der Merwe, who stepped on the gas to score in the corner. Van der Merwe is a terrific physical threat, standing 6ft 4ins tall and weighing over 17 stone. *Fast fact: Duhan van der Merwe is the brother of Springboks hooker Akker van der Merwe. a.parentNode.insertBefore(c, a); But his first season at the French club was injury-prone and led to more limited game time for Van der Merwe. One South African-born player was included in Warren Gatland’s 36-man British & Irish Lions squad for the upcoming tour. var c = document.createElement("script"); Van der Merwe is the younger brother of Akker van der Merwe, also a professional rugby union player who plays at hooker. He is a hooker who plays for Premiership club Sale Sharks. He registered similar stats against Ireland, finishing just shy of 100m from another 10 carries as Scotland returned to championship action with another narrow loss in round four, 27-24. (function (document, window) { Duhan van der Merwe in action for Scotland during the Guinness Six Nations match between England and Scotland at Twickenham Stadium on February 06, 2021, in London, England. Gatland names Alun Wyn Jones as his 2021 Lions captain . Winger Duhan van der Merwe is thrilled to be part of "big things" at Edinburgh after extending his contract. South Africa-born wing Duhan van der Merwe on finding a home at Edinburgh, the prospect of facing the Springboks and his ambitions. Google Ads Manager – 300×250. Scotland may not have ended their wait for the Championship title, but they made … The Edinburgh wing scored the only try of the game in the 29th minute as Scotland stunned defending champions England and ended their 38-year wait for a victory at Twickenham. Here is a summary of Van der Merwe’s overall performance in the 2021 Six Nations, taking his international tally to eight tries in 10 Tests. target_type: 'mix' Van der Merwe quickly caught the eye; he was selected for the SA Schools side in 2012-13 for whom he played five matches and he also turned out in two games for the SA U20 side in 2014. a || ( a = document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0] || document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0]); “It is absolutely brilliant news for the club that Duhan has decided to join us here at Sixways,” said Solomons. Tags. T.M. 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