South African rugby union player From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Franco van der Merwe (born 15 March 1983 in Paarl) is a South African rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is lock, although he can also operate as a flanker. Previous clubs include Irish side Ulster in the Pro12, London Irish in Premiership Rugby, the Lions in Super Rugby and the Leopards and the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup.
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| Date of birth | 15 March 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Paarl, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 116 kg (18 st 4 lb; 256 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hartswater High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | North-West University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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He also joined the Sharks on loan for the 2013 Super Rugby season.[1]
Van der Merwe has been included in several Springbok squads since June 2012 and finally made his debut in the 2013 Rugby Championship match against New Zealand.[2]
He left the Lions to join Irish side Ulster prior to the 2014–15 Pro12 season.[3] He signed a two-year deal starting on 1 August 2014.[citation needed]
Van der Merwe was signed by Pro14 side Cardiff Blues for the 2017 season, however on 1 August 2017 he was released by the club due to club based "financial challenges".[citation needed]
On 25 August 2017, he was named amongst the starting XV for a pre-season friendly game for London Irish against Richmond on a club trial.[4] On 31 August it was announced he had been signed by the club.[5] He was released ahead of the 2020–21 season.[6]
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