Would ‘Jonah Lomu-style’ Duhan van der Merwe make the Springboks XV? Nick Mallett gives his verdic
The gargantuan wing was born and raised in South Africa but he is currently featuring for Scotland after qualifying on residency.
Due to SA Rugby’s current laws differing from the likes of England, Ireland and New Zealand, Van der Merwe could have been called up by Rassie Erasmus despite playing for Edinburgh.
However, the powerhouse back decided to opt for the Scots and since then he has become one of the most dangerous attacking players in the world game.
Scotland record holder
The 29-year-old is currently the country’s top try-scorer of all time with 32 after his latest effort in their 16-15 Six Nations defeat to England.
It raises the question of whether he would now make it into the Springboks’ squad and if Erasmus has missed a trick.
They are well stocked on the wing, with current starters Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse incredible players in their own right, but Van der Merwe certainly does offer something different.
“Probably not” was Mallett’s response when asked if the Scottish flyer would get into the Boks’ XV, but the former national team head coach does see the value he would offer.
“He’s competing with two completely different players in Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe, and they’ve got magnificent skills,” he said on the Boks Office podcast.
“It’s the wonderful thing about rugby. You’ve got the Jonah Lomu-style player and then you’ve got people with feet and really good skills
“You take your pick but certainly I’m quite happy with what we’ve got.”
The discussion came after Van der Merwe’s player of the match performance against England – the third time in a row he has claimed that award versus the Red Rose.
Mallett joked: “He doesn’t like the English”, before De Villiers chimed in with “he loves playing against England – the South African comes out.”
The ex-Springboks boss then added: “He really did play well. The off-load he did for Huw Jones’ try was brilliant, and his try he took at the end; he played well.
B&I Lions debate
Thoughts then moved on to British and Irish Lions selection, with Van der Merwe very much in the running for one of the wing slots ahead of the Australia tour.
At the moment, De Villiers does not see him making that starting XV, despite his outstanding display against England last weekend.
“I didn’t have him because of [Ireland’s] James Lowe and [England wing Tommy] Freeman. Because Freeman plays on the right wing, and Lowe and Duhan plays on the left.”
Mallett agreed in regards to the Ireland star, saying: “It’s hard to leave Lowe out”, before the ex-Boks captain added: “Especially with that left foot. There is a big difference in playing left and right wing. A specialist like a Duhan plays on the left wing, is really good there. I don’t know whether you can [put him on the right].”
