Latest news with #MarnusvanderMerwe
The South African
14 hours ago
- Sport
- The South African
Grey College get yet another Springbok old boy
Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe, and Neethling Fouche will all make their Springbok debuts against Georgia in Nelspruit on Saturday. The trio will become Springboks #950, #951 and #952. Kick-off is at 17:10. Meanwhile, double Rugby World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi returns from injury to take over the captaincy for first time this season in an exciting squad named by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus for the final Incoming Series match at the Mbombela Stadium. Venter, who was called up to the squad in June as injury cover at prop, will start in completely new front row with fellow prop Fouche and hooker Van der Merwe, who both had their first taste of Springbok rugby in the team's 54-7 victory against the Barbarians, while Kolisi features in a loose trio with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cobus Wiese after missing the last three matches due to niggles. The three uncapped front rankers will increase the number of newly capped players this season to seven after Vincent Tshituka (flanker), Wiese, Asenathi Ntlabakanye (prop), and Ethan Hooker (utility back) all made their Test debuts against Italy. Erasmus's team features only five players who started last week, and eight in total from the match-23 that defeated Italy 45-0 in Gqeberha. The inclusion of Kolisi and Venter in the squad, meanwhile, increases the size of the group used by Erasmus so far this season to 46 players, with the matchday squad featuring 15 Rugby World Cup winners. The five players who retained their places in the starting line-up are Edwill van der Merwe (wing), Canan Moodie (utility back), Grant Williams (scrumhalf), Du Toit, and Ruan Nortje (lock), while Conus Wiese and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (flyhalf) are promoted from the bench to starting team, with Thomas du Toit (prop) starting among the replacements. Edwill van der Merwe, who scored two tries in his second match in the green and gold last week, has been named in a playmaking back three with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Aphelele Fassi, while Moodie joins forces with Damian de Allende in the midfield, and Williams pairs up with Feinberg-Mngomezulu at halfback. Up-front, apart from a new-look front row and rejigged loose trio, Eben Etzebeth will link up with Ruan Nortje in the engine room. Erasmus named a five-three split in favour of the forwards on the replacements bench, where Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch (both props) and Bongi Mbonambi (hooker) will serve as the impact front row, along with RG Snyman (lock) and Kwagga Smith (loose forward). Faf de Klerk (scrumhalf), Handre Pollard, and Damian Willemse (both utility backs), in turn, will provide backline cover. Neethling Fouche's inclusion will give Grey College their 49th Springbok of all time as the look to close the gap on Paul Roos who lead the way with 56 Springbok old boys. Meanwhile, the Test will have extra significance for Marnus van der Merwe who was born in Mbombela and attended Hoërskool Nelspruit. He will become Hoërskool Nelspruit's sixth Springbok after Nico Wegner, Schutte Bekker, Duane Vermeulen, Marnitz Boshoff and team-mate on Saturday, Faf de Klerk, although De Klerk didn't matriculate from the school, but rather moved to Waterkloof. Finally, Boan Venter was schooled at Hoërskool De Aar and will become the Northern Cape school's first ever Springbok. Rank School Players 1 Paul Roos Gymnasium 56 2 Grey College 48 3 Diocesan College (Bishops) 43 4 SACS 32 5 Paarl Gimnasium 31 6 Paarl Boys High 26 7 Kimberley Boys' High 23 8 Rondebosch 21 T9 Grey High School 17 T9 Maritzburg College 17 11 Wynberg Boys High 15 12 Dale College 13 13 St Andrews, Grahamstown 12 T14 Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool 11 T14 Hottentots-Holland 11 Below, a full list of all the SCHOOLS the Springbok squad for Saturday attended: Position Player School 15 Aphelele Fassi Dale College 14 Edwill van der Merwe Paul Roos 13 Canan Moodie Boland Landbou 12 Damian de Allende Milnerton 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse Paulus Joubert 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu Bishops 9 Grant Williams Paarl Gimnasium 8 Cobus Wiese Upington 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit Swartland 6 Siya Kolisi Grey High 5 Ruan Nortje Wonderboom 4 Eben Etzebeth Tygerberg 3 Neethling Fouche Grey College 2 Marnus van der Merwe Nelspruit 1 Boan Venter De Aar Reserves 16 Bongi Mbonambi Voortrekker 17 Thomas du Toit Paarl Boys' High 18 Vincent Koch Hugenote 19 RG Snyman Affies 20 Kwagga Smith HTS Middelburg 21 Faf de Klerk Waterkloof 22 Handre Pollard Paarl Gimnasium 23 Damian Willemse Paul Roos Paul Roos and Paarl Gimnasium lead the way with two players apiece. Such is the diverse nature of rugby played across South Africa, no other school has more than one player. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
2 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Springboks v Georgia: What time is kick off?
The Springboks have started the season with predictably emphatic wins over the Barbarians and Italy (twice), but it shouldn't be forgotten that they have one more 'warm-up' game of sorts against Georgia this Saturday before they kick off their Rugby Championship title defence. This Saturday's clash against Georgia at Mbombela Stadium will offer one last opportunity for Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus to experiment with some selections, tactics and combinations. There could also be an opportunity for some more Test debuts to be handed out to the likes of Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouche, while Siya Kolisi could be afforded some game-time after recovering from injury. After this weekend's encounter, the Springbok players will be given a few days off before a reduced squad of 35 will be named for the start of the build up to the Rugby Championship. 'We are fairly happy,' Erasmus commented after the 45-0 victory over Italy on Saturday. 'The Barbarians game we didn't concede a lot of points in a tough rainy game there – we got a 50 there, we got 42 last week and 45 here, and only conceded 24 points against Italy and, overall, a lot of the guys got caps. 'So, hopefully after the Georgia game a lot of the guys will have had two caps, and we will have won all four matches, and we can pick a nice settled, balanced team for the Rugby Championship.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Springboks vs Georgia test: Park-and-ride details to know
The Springboks are set to return to Mbombela Stadium to tackle a tough Georgia as part of the Castle Lager Incoming Series, so it's time to grab your tickets and familiarise yourself with the match day park-and-ride arrangements. Tickets have been selling well for the game, which kicks off at 17:10 on July 19. As of Wednesday, ticket sales had already passed the 70% mark, so be sure to get yours soon! Tickets are only available online at and are not sold at Mbombela Stadium. Ticketmaster is the only accredited seller for this test match. An improved park-and-ride transport system will be in operation, using nine pickup points. The Government Complex and Valley Hyper are the only non-school-based pickup points this year. ALSO READ: Marnus van der Merwe makes Lowveld history with Springbok call-up In Mbombela, there are six school-based pick-up points: Curro Mbombela, Hoërskool Nelspruit, Laerskool Nelspruit, Hoërskool Bergvlam and Nelspruit Primary (one point), Lowveld High School, and Laerskool Laeveld. In White River, a pickup point will be at White River Primary School and Rob Ferreira High School. At all school-based pickup points, it will cost R100 to park your vehicle while you use the park-and-ride service to and from the stadium. Buses will start running to the stadium at 12:00, with the last buses departing from the stadium between 21:00 and 21:30. They will leave once full or every 15 to 30 minutes. Apart from the parking fee at the schools, the park-and-ride service is free for all match ticket holders. All buses follow a circular route to drop off at all points, so be sure to disembark at the correct one. When leaving the stadium, ensure you board the bus at the same gate where you were dropped off before the game. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Don't miss out on tickets for the Springboks vs Georgia match
Don't miss out on tickets for the Springboks vs Georgia match Ticket sales for the upcoming test match between the Springboks and Georgia at Mbombela Stadium have already passed the 60% mark – so make sure you don't miss out on securing yours. This will be just the third test played between the two sides. The first took place in Sydney during the 2003 Rugby World Cup, where South Africa won 40-16. The second was in Pretoria in 2021, a 40-9 win for the Boks, played behind closed doors due to Covid-19 restrictions. Georgia are currently ranked 11th in the world, above both Wales and Japan. They are renowned for their powerful, aggressive scrumming, and are undefeated in 35 consecutive matches over eight seasons in the Rugby Europe Men's Championship. ALSO READ: IN PHOTOS: Airlink Pumas thump Uganda in pre-season friendly The Springboks have won all five matches they've played at Mbombela Stadium. In 2013, they beat Scotland 30-17, followed by a 31-30 win over Wales in 2014. In 2016, they defeated Argentina 30-23, then returned in 2022 to beat the All Blacks 26-10. Most recently, they secured a 48-7 victory over Argentina in 2024. This unbeaten streak in Mpumalanga's capital, combined with the exciting, high-quality rugby the Springboks are currently producing, gives fans every reason to be at Mbombela Stadium on July 19. The Springboks' 2025 season got off to a thrilling start last weekend with a 54-7 triumph over the Barbarians in Cape Town. The Lowveld's own Marnus van der Merwe made his debut in that match, while fellow Lowvelder Kwagga Smith also featured off the bench. ALSO READ: This weekend, the Boks take on Italy at Loftus Versfeld. Smith will again be on the bench, alongside former Laerskool Bergland pupil Faf de Klerk and former Pumas prop Vincent Koch. Tickets are available at and at the Mbombela Stadium ticket office. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
27-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Marnus van der Merwe's big chance to solve Bok hooker problem
Marnus van der Merwe is the latest South African hooker to get a chance to seal up the third choice hooking berth behind Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi. Marnus van der Merwe will make his first appearance for the Springboks against the Barbarians on Saturday. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images The Springboks have over the past six or so years been searching for a reliable regular third choice hooker, and Marnus van der Merwe looks set to be the next to step into the breach to try and make the position his own. Since before the 2019 World Cup, Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi have worked seamlessly in tandem as two of the best hookers in world rugby, but have yet to find someone to back them up. At the 2019 World Cup the Boks took veteran Schalk Brits, at that time 38 years old, to the showpiece event as back up to Marx and Mbonambi. In the previous cycle before the 2023 event, the Boks tried numerous options, with players like Scarra Ntubeni, Johan Grobbelaar and Fez Mbatha making various squads but not playing, while Joseph Dweba seemed to be the favourite to take the spot. However, the Bok management weren't convinced and in 2022 decided to bring veteran Deon Fourie into the mix, with him becoming the oldest Springbok debutant at 35-years-old against Wales that year. Despite him having transitioned into a loose forward, he was then required to become the back up hooker, with the Boks taking him to the 2023 World Cup as their third choice option, and he even played 78 minutes of the final after Mbonambi was forced off early with an injury. More changes Last year Grobbelaar returned to the mix and made his debut, while Jan-Hendrik Wessels was also brought in as a hooking option, although the Bok bosses seem to see him more as a loosehead prop. Andre-Hugo Venter also earned a Bok cap against Portugal. This year Grobbelaar and Venter have been left out, Wessels is still involved, but will likely focus more on prop, and Van Der Merwe has arrived after a sterling season in the URC for Scarlets. He now has a golden opportunity to do what a slew of players before him have been unable to — become a regular back up to the two stalwarts, and his first chance to make that statement will be when he comes off the bench against the Barbarians in Cape Town on Saturday. 'It's an honour to be here. I've been praying for this every day, so it's a blessing and it's not something I'm taking lightly,' said Van der Merwe at a Bok press conference on Wednesday. 'It has been great to have players like Bongi and Malcolm to learn from, and they, and the rest of the team, have been very helpful in getting me settled. I think I asked Bongi about 20 questions the first day of camp. 'I want to go out there and give everything, just as I do every week for my club. One thing's for certain, it's tough to get here and even harder to stay here, so I plan to give my best.' Move to Scarlets The 28-year-old Van der Merwe was a Cheetahs stalwart after making his senior debut in 2017, but due to playing minimally internationally, he decided to make the switch to Welsh side Scarlets this past season. He made the move in an effort to ignite his Springbok aspirations, but he was even caught off guard by how quickly he has been brought into the setup, despite his impressive debut campaign in the URC. 'I didn't think it would happen this fast. I thought it would probably take another year or so, so hopefully I can grab the opportunity with both hands,' explained the hooker. 'I told my wife when we went over to Wales that I have a two-year plan to work my way into the Bok setup, and if it doesn't happen, we'll make another plan. Obviously being here now means that we've had to move everything forward. 'I must give credit to the Scarlets for their role in getting me to where I am now. I told them what my goals were, and they bought in and assisted me to make it here, and I'm very grateful for that.'
