Duhan van der Merwe is making the most of every minute in black and white as he gears up for his latest showdown against the land of his birth.
The giant wing was born and raised in South Africa before moving to France in 2016, and Scotland a year later.
His potential was clear from his schoolboy days in George, earning representative honours throughout the grades and an academy contract with Blue Bulls, but it was in Scotland that his career truly accelerated.
He qualified on residency in 2020, and has not looked back, earning 53 test caps and a place on two consecutive British & Irish Lions tours.
The 31-year-old will line-up against his homeland, whom he dreamt of playing for, on Saturday in Port Elizabeth but it is now a familiar challenge.
Despite the hype, Van der Merwe remains unmoved, the opportunity to face the world champions the biggest motivation, while the chance to enjoy the famous Barbarian spirit has also been a reinvigorating experience.
He said: “I’m loving it to honest. It’s a bit of a bit of a different setup to what you are used to, but that’s the beauty about sport.
“Being able to come out to South Africa, be in a Barbarian squad and getting to know players over a beer or two, it reminds yourself of back in the day when you started playing rugby and there wasn’t any added pressure
“So far, it’s been unbelievable and I’m very grateful to have the opportunity. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and at times I thought I wouldn’t get the opportunity with games often a week before internationals.
“I guess the first time a faced the Boks it was a little bit strange. People have their opinions, whatever they might be and they are entitled to them but it doesn’t bother me.
“It was just a very proud moment for me and my family to do something which I never thought I would be able to do. The British & Irish Lions is the pinnacle of any rugby players’ career so to do that against South Africa was very special.
“I’ve been away for nine or ten years now so whether I’m representing Scotland or the Lions, it’s a special moment and something I chose. It’s going to be pretty cool to play against them with the Barbarians on Saturday.
“I don’t feel like I have a point to prove or anything. It’s been nine or ten years and I’m just grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.
“The motivation is more that they have been the world champions for a long time and you want to test yourself against the best. You know whenever you play South Africa, it’s going to be pretty tough.”
One added incentive for Van der Merwe has been the opportunity to reconnect and play alongside Warrick Gelant.
The duo went to Hoërskool Outeniqua in George and also joined the Bulls academy set-up together, although they never shared a pitch in the blue.
And re-establishing that once prolific combination with the now Stormers full-back has been an exciting prospect for the Scotland star.
He added: “It’s brilliant. I didn’t know Warrick was involved until I got here and saw him.
“In the meetings we’ve had to get up and speak about ourselves and one of the things I mentioned was how special it is to reconnect with Warrick.
“He was my full-back in school back in 2013. We’ve got a really good relationship so to be about to play together again is special.
“I know what he can do, I trust him and we still have that connection. We always had this thing where he would go up and give me the ball and just shout in Afrikaans to basically score in the corner. I’ve told him, I’m a little bit older now and I might not make it!”
Tickets are available for the Springboks v Barbarians clash – Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) 20 June exclusively at springboks.tmtickets.co.za. Tickets for Barbarians v Wales Double Header – Allianz Stadium – Twickenham 27 June are available via Ticketmaster.co.uk and England Rugby, starting from just £20* for adults and £10* for under-16s. Hospitality packages are also available from £179+VAT PP, visit www.allianzstadiumtwickenham.com *Booking fees apply.
