CAPE TOWN - Having seen Duhan van der Merwe up close during his school days, Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids is well aware of the threat that the Scotland wing will pose for the British and Irish Lions in South Africa.
The 26-year-old Van der Merwe was named in the Lions XV for Saturday’s Test against Japan at Murrayfield, and he has made an outstanding start to his international career, with eight tries in 10 matches.
The No 11, though, could easily have been on the other side of the coin in the upcoming South African series.
Davids was the South Western Districts academy coach at the time Van der Merwe was emerging as a schoolboy star at Hoërskool Outeniqua in George.
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“Duhan was a quality player in South Africa, since his George days at Outeniqua High School, with Warrick Gelant and those guys. They had an excellent team, and I had the privilege of watching them play at school – and also watching their progress into the SA Schools team,” the Bok forwards coach said from Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
“He was a great prospect for us, but unfortunately, we also know that a couple of injuries over the years were stumbling blocks in his progress.
“But it’s good to see that he overcame all of those obstacles, and he really had stand-out performances in the past few years for his club Edinburgh, and also for Scotland. I think he deserves his position in the Lions squad.
“He is a big, strong wing, and has that X-factor to finish. So, he will be a handful, and we are looking forward to welcoming him on the South African turf, playing against us.”
Van der Merwe is certainly a powerful unit at 1.93m and 106kg, and his potential duel with Cheslin Kolbe could be one of the highlights of the Lions Test series.
But first he will have to play himself into the Test side, starting on Saturday against Japan. He has serious competition for the No 11 jersey from Wales’ World Cup star Josh Adams, who will be at No 14 this weekend, while other contenders such as Louis Rees-Zammit and Anthony Watson play mainly at right wing.
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Welsh fullback Liam Williams can also operate at left wing, especially as Scotland’s Stuart Hogg is the favourite to wear the No 15 jersey in the Tests.
Meanwhile, Davids will also be keeping an eye on the Lions forwards in the Japan match, particularly the lineout.
“I haven’t looked at it in much depth, but I do see a quality pack of forwards – a lot of experience and players who have performed well. Alun Wyn Jones leading them in their first game is also important, and a guy like Tadhg Beirne from Munster is on form and has performed well,” he said.
“Anyone of the bench players can be in the starting line-up going forward, so it will be interesting to see what kind of opposition Japan will provide.
“The lineout is a key component of the game, and the competition doesn’t end with the locks – it’s also how the combination of the loose trio adds to that.
“If you look at (Alun) Wyn Jones, (Maro) Itoje, Beirne, Courtney Lawes are all good lineout athletes. So, the battle would be interesting, but with our locks available, they have proven their worth, if you look at their success rate at the World Cup.”