Along with Van Der Merwe, Morne van den Berg, Ruan Venter, Quan Horn and Jordan Hendrikse (now a Sharks player), all made their Bok debuts.
Recent Springbok debutant and Lions wing Edwill van der Merwe is hoping the recent inclusion in the Bok setup of players from the franchise will inspire the other players to help them kick on to new heights.
During the previous World Cup cycle not a single Lions player (not including former players) was picked to represent the Springboks, which was a major disappointment for what is a proud union.
However a number of their players were involved in the Springbok alignment camps earlier this season, and have gone on to make their international debuts, which is a big boost to the franchise.
Along with Van Der Merwe, Morne van den Berg, Ruan Venter, Quan Horn and Jordan Hendrikse (now a Sharks player), all made their Bok debuts against Wales and Portugal, while Van Den Berg went on to feature in the second Test Down Under against the Wallabies as well.
“I think probably the number one thing is it will probably inspire our teammates more to know that the Bok coaches are looking at the Lions,” explained Van Der Merwe.
“I think for a long time there might have been a perception that they’re not really looking at the Lions. So now from the Lions group there’s five guys who came through this season, which is quite special.
“I think there’s a big responsibility on us as players to take what we’ve learned at the Springboks back to the Lions and help the (other) guys also achieve their dream of playing for the Springboks, to uplift them and support them in achieving their dream.”
Lot of learnings
Van Der Merwe admitted that he had learned plenty in his short time with the national side, before an injury playing for the Lions in the Currie Cup ended any further chance of him featuring for the Boks during the Rugby Championship.
“I learnt to challenge myself a lot more, I thought I was working hard but being in the Springbok environment, the high-performance environment, I now know what is required of me as a wing,” said Van Der Merwe.
“I feel I have a huge responsibility to take what I have learnt at the Springboks back to the Lions and try to create more Springbok teammates from the Lions.”
Van Der Merwe is also incredibly proud of the Lions extended squad, with a large number of their fringe players performing superbly in the Currie Cup, with them sitting second on the log after winning six of their seven games so far.
“The feeling in the squad is very good and positive. Some of the younger guys are getting opportunities and are grabbing them with both hands, which is the most important thing for the Lions,” admitted Van Der Merwe.
“The way they are playing is making people proud to be Lions supporters and hopefully they can continue and bring some silverware back to the union.”
