Van der Merwe enjoyed a bright start to his Springbok career when he scored an excellent try against Wales in London in June but he was unable to build on it because of an ankle injury picked up early in the Currie Cup. It has taken three months for him to get back on the pitch.
Coach Ivan van Rooyen has lost the services of Ruan Venter, who picked up a shoulder injury in the defeat of Ulster but this is countered by the return from injury of lively flank JC Pretorius.
In another change to the pack, former Sharks prop Juan Schoeman get a start at loosehead in place of Morgan Naude.
This sets up an interesting battle in the front row because the Edinburgh loosehead prop is none other than Pierre Schoeman, Juan’s brother.
While the brotherly battle will provide a fascinating sideshow, all eyes will be on Van der Merwe. He is an exciting talent and it is pity he got injured soon after winning the Player of the Match award for the Boks in that game in London.
The competition for the No 11 and No 14 jerseys at the Boks is fierce —Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Makazole Mapimpi, and Canan Moodie are superb players but as Van der Merwe well knows, injuries can change things quickly.
He will want to hit the ground running this afternoon and try and play his way into contention for the Boks’ November tour.
The stocky wing is from the Western Cape and a product of Paul Roos Gymnasium. He came to light in the Varsity Cup where he won titles with Maties in 2018 and 2019 but a move to the Highveld gave his career a lift off.
“I’ve been through enough disappointments in my life to know how to pick myself up and that’s just the process of believing in yourself,” Van der Merwe said.
“Getting an opportunity this weekend, I don’t put too much pressure on myself.
“I am just enjoying myself because I know that’s when I play my best rugby.
“This weekend is just about going back to basics, enjoying myself, playing with a smile, and eventually I hope to score some tries,” Van der Merwe said.
Lions team
15 Quan Horn 14 Rabz Maxwane 13 Erich Cronje 12 Rynhardt Jonker 11 Edwill van der Merwe 10 Kade Wolhuter 9 Morne van den Berg 8 Franke Horne (captain) 7 Jarod Cairns 6 JC Pretorius 5 Darrien Landsberg 4 Reinhard Nothnagel 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye 2 PJ Botha 1 Juan Schoeman.
Replacements:16 Franco Marais 17 Heiko Pohlman 18 Conraad van Vuuren 19 Ruben Schoeman 20 Renzo du Plessis 21 Sanele Nohamba 22 Marius Louw 23 Henco van Wyk.