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The Citizen
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Marnus van der Merwe makes Lowveld history with Springbok call-up
Marnus van der Merwe, a former Laerskool Laeveld and Hoërskool Nelspruit learner, has been included in the Springbok squad for the Barbarians clash on June 28, making history for his old primary school in the process. Van der Merwe (28) will be on the bench for the Springboks in jersey number 16 during the match against the Barbarians at DHL Stadium in Cape Town. In receiving what is believed by many to believe a long-overdue Bok call-up, Van der Merwe will become the first former Laerskool Laeveld learner to don the green and gold come Saturday. He will also be the sixth (if one includes sevens rugby) Nellies alumnus to achieve the feat. He finished Grade Seven at Laeveld in 2010, going on to attend Hoërskool Nelspruit from which he matriculated in 2015. After matriculating he made the move to Bloemfontein where he joined the Toyota Cheetahs Academy, earning his way up the ranks and appearing for the Cheetahs at U19 and U21 levels. After breaking into the senior set-up he played more than 70 games for the Free Staters before he departed in July 2024, having made his debut in the defunct Pro14 Championship in 2018. He was also part of the victorious 2023 Currie Cup winning team. Van der Merwe, a hooker by trade now after playing as a loose forward in high school, traded the plains of the Free State for the cold and wet countryside in Wales by joining the Scarlets in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. ALSO READ: Springboks to face Georgia at Mbombela Stadium Since making his move to west Wales, Van der Merwe has been in the form of his life, playing outstanding rugby that has seen him voted the Scarlets' Supporters' Player of the Season and named in the BKT URC Elite XV for 2024/25. Only JC Pretorius and Sam Lousi won more turnovers than Van der Merwe over the course of the URC. While 2024/25 has undoubtedly been his breakout season, Van der Merwe first attracted the attention of those in the Springbok coaching room last year when he was included in a 43-player squad for a Springbok alignment camp in early 2024. He didn't make the cut then, but that didn't stop his momentum and he has been unstoppable on his mission to earning a Bok call-up. This hard work paid off when he was included in Rassie Erasmus' squad for the upcoming 2025 tests last month. He has stiff competition in the hooker position, but his work ethic has helped him stand out in Erasmus' eyes. He is one of four uncapped players in the side that will take on the Baa-Baas – along with Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Vincent Tshituka and Neethling Fouché. Commenting on the four uncapped players in the 23-man match day squad, Erasmus said: 'They have all slotted into our systems really well and have a good understanding of what we want to do in this match … Asenathi, Vincent, Neethling, and Marnus have all been impressive at training and for their respective franchises this season, and we hope to see them replicate those quality performances in this match.' Van der Merwe won't be the only former Lowvelder in action on Saturday though, as old Lydenburger Kwagga Smith was also named on the bench for the encounter. While not included in the side for this Saturday, former Laerskool Bergland and NHS learner Faf de Klerk is in the larger squad for the series, along with former Airlink Pumas player Vincent Koch. Rugby fans in the Lowveld will be itching to see their boys in action, especially when the Springboks return to Mbombela Stadium to take on Georgia on July 19. Tickets are available for the clash and you best make sure you get yours at At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Scotsman
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Glasgow Warriors reaction: Dressing room tears shed as admission made over defeat to Leinster
Franco Smith accepts Glasgow beaten by 'world class' opponents Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Franco Smith admitted that Leinster are way out in front in the United Rugby Championship after the Irish side ended Glasgow Warriors' tenure as champions with a comprehensive victory in Dublin. Smith expressed pride in his side's reign but they were ultimately outplayed by the hosts who won the semi-final 37-19 at the Aviva Stadium. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Leinster, who also knocked Glasgow out of the Champions Cup this season, thrashing them 52-0 in the quarter-finals, will now meet the Bulls in the final at Croke Park next weekend and there will be a new name added to the URC roll of honour. Neither side has won the trophy before. Franco Smith accepted that Leinster were just too strong for his Glasgow Warriors side. (Photo by) | Getty Images Leinster, for all their brilliance, have lost in the semi-finals in each of the last three seasons but will be hot favourites to lift silverware for the first time since 2021 when they won the old Pro14 Championship. Glasgow were overwhelmed in the first half, conceding four tries through Dan Sheehan (two), Jamie Osborne and Thomas Clarkson, with George Horne replying for the visitors. Osborne and Ciaran Frawley pressed home Leinster's superiority after the break before Jamie Dobie and Sione Tuipulotu scored late consolations for the Warriors. 'Tears were shed in the changing room, to be honest,' said Smith. 'In the first 20 minutes, we just had no luck. We turned the ball over too many times and we made 70 tackles in the first quarter of the game, which is way too many and ended up going into the sheds at half-time 25-5 down. That means you're chasing against a world-class team. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'You chase the scoreline and Leinster were very good. I was never in any doubt that they would be. I know the press asked a lot of questions around their mentality but I never had doubt. There are too many class A players. I sat here a month ago talking about the [Champions Cup] quarter-final and it's still a world-class team, nothing's changed. So, if we were going to lose the URC Championship title, I'd rather it was against them than anybody else. 'That said, we're a proud team. I thought we gave it everything. I see this holistically, not just in terms of today's game. We defended our title bravely but today we fell short.' Ronan Kelleher of Leinster is tackled by Kyle Rowe of Glasgow Warriors during the United Rugby Championship semi-final match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images) | Sportsfile via Getty Images Smith refused to use an extensive injury list as an excuse but there is no doubt Glasgow suffered in the absence of Zander and Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey, Huw Jones and Gregor Brown. 'I don't want to make excuses because I definitely felt the team that we named could have won the game,' said the Glasgow coach. 'So, yes, it would have been good to have had some of those boys back, but I backed the team that we picked. I backed the depth and the growth of the club that we've seen, with more players becoming eligible for Scotland and putting their hands up to play at this level this whole season.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Leinster are ahead of everybody else,' he added. 'They started this process way back when. I think I was still coaching Benetton and they were already on top of their game. With Joe Schmidt bringing in certain structures and certain expectations, they've got an unbelievable feeding source here from the schools and a huge academy.
