Johannesburg — Edwill van der Merwe has stepped himself to some truly spectacular tries in recent seasons, and in doing so has become an integral part of this Emirates Lions team.
Indeed, in many respects, it is difficult to imagine the Joburg team without his services on the wing before he joined the union in 2022. He was at it again this past weekend against Dragons in an EPCR Challenge Cup clash, scoring the second of two tries in a 30-25 winning effort.
It was one for the highlight reel especially, a cheeky try scored from the kick-off engineered by prop JP Smith.
“That is the type of player that JP is,” Van der Merwe beamed earlier this week of the effort. “He is a very skilful player who can play amongst the backs.
“Two kick-offs prior to that move, he saw that it was on and told me that I needed to be ready. Their flyhalf (Will Reed) kicked off onto the pod again and I sort of readied myself for it.
“(Smith) gave the perfect pass. Coach Albert joked with me afterwards that JP had to slow down so that I could catch up.
“It is a credit to JP and his rugby brain for really analysing the situation and being able to put me away there.”
After 10 games in the United Rugby Championship (URC), Van der Merwe has only scored two tries having played in 10 matches, a record that the Lions and their supporters will hope the speedster can improve upon this weekend.
The Lions will face Connacht in the ever tough Galway. Crossing the whitewash there and securing victory has not been easy for SA sides, who are yet to beat the hosts at home. It will be the Lions’ first time playing at the Sportsground.
Having halted a four-match losing streak with the important victory over the Welsh franchise this past weekend, Van der Merwe revealed that the team will be in a much better space against Connacht.
Said Van der Merwe: “We really needed that win.
“For us it is great to get back to winning ways. We were in a four-game losing streak, so we knew that we really needed to turn this tour around.
“We really want to make memories and our focus now shifts to the URC and we have to get a win on Saturday.
“The mood in the camp is great,” he added, “especially after the win. A win always lifts everyone’s spirits.
“As a group we have been spending some time on and off the field, getting to know each other. A four-week tour is a bit long and sometimes you can get a bit moody … we are really enjoying each other’s company.
“When you are on tour, you only have each other and that is good for us as a group.”
Head coach Ivan van Rooyen will name his matchday 23 on Friday. Kick-off for the encounter between Connacht and the Lions on Saturday will follow the clash between Edinburgh and the Sharks at 9.35pm.
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