SOUTHERN KINGS FIRED UP FOR SEASON
Team fired-up for season, says Van der Merwe
POWERHOUSE prop Schalk “Hond” van der Merwe believes a fired-up Southern Kings team will surprise opponents in Super Rugby this year. The burly Van der Merwe, one of the new signings in the Kings team, will provide extra grunt in the pack in what will be a gruelling Super Rugby campaign.
He said the Kings could improve on last year’s woeful record of winning only two of the 15 matches they played.
“The Kings did not have a lot of time to prepare last season. This time we have had from November to do all the hard work and we have a fair chance,” Van der Merwe said.
“We had the opportunity for everyone to work and stick together and to get good leaders and get everything in place.
“I think we are in an incredibly good space now ahead of the warm-up games, where we will polish up the final stuff before Super Rugby.
“I think we are going to surprise a lot of teams this year and I am looking forward to the competition.”
Van der Merwe is looking to test himself in the opening game against the Jaguares, who always boast a solid scrum.
“I have not played against the Jagueres in Super Rugby. When I last played Super Rugby the Jaguares were not in it yet. It is always important to measure yourself against the best to see where you are.
“That first game is here in the Bay. With the home crowd behind us, and the urge to make it a success, I think everything will fall into place,” he said.
“We are going to have one hell of a game and we are going to give our everything as a team. The Kings gave me a chance and I am very pleased that I came here.”
Not surprisingly, Van der Merwe says the scrums are where he enjoys himself the most in a game.
“I look forward to the scrums in every team I play,” he said.
“Like I said to the coach, that is the only part of the game that makes sense to me.
“I’m looking to firing the guys up. The scrum is the place in the game where I can show my part in the team and I am going to do it to the best of my ability.”
The fiery prop said there was nothing particularly interesting about how he had come by the nickname “Hond”.
“I just got it as a schoolboy at Grey Bloem where everybody has a nickname. I just said something about a dog and it stuck.”
At the end of last year, Van der Merwe played for the Barbarians against the Springboks at Wembley Stadium and he said it was an experience he would never forget.
The match ended in a thrilling 31-31 draw. Van der Merwe previously played for the Golden Lions and Free State Cheetahs in South African rugby, and for the Lions in Super Rugby and for Montpellier in the French Top 14.
He joined the Golden Lions prior to the 2014 season and made his debut for the team in a 21-20 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
‘ I think we are in an incredibly good space now ahead of the warm-up games