Springboks star reveals the ‘big reasons’ why he rejected overseas move and chose the Sharks

Springboks speedster Edwill van der Merwe is looking forward to the challenge of representing his new club the Sharks during the upcoming United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign.

Van der Merwe was one of South Africa’s stars during their earlier Tests of 2025 as he scored a brace of tries in back-to-back encounters against Italy and Georgia before sustaining an ankle injury in the world champions’ shock 38-22 defeat to Australia in their Rugby Championship opener in Johannesburg.

That injury meant he missed out on selection in the rematch against the Wallabies in Cape Town the following weekend and he was subsequently omitted from the Boks‘ squad for their Rugby Championship tour to New Zealand, where they faced the All Blacks in back-to-back Tests in Auckland and Wellington.

Impressed at Test level

Despite making his Springboks debut late in his career – against Wales at Twickenham last year – the 29-year-old has impressed in the Test arena as he has already scored five tries for the world champions in just four appearances.

With the Sharks’ URC campaign set to start next weekend away to Glasgow Warriors, Van der Merwe could make his competitive debut for the men from Durban in that encounter after playing off the replacements bench in a friendly against the Stormers last weekend.

Van der Merwe believes he joined the Durban-based outfit at the right time in his career following a successful stint with the Lions, although he was also wanted by Premiership outfit Sale Sharks.

“I spent four seasons at the Lions and I felt I was at a point in my career where I needed something fresh,” he told IOL.

“The team that appealed to me the most was the Sharks because of the number of Springboks they have, and my ambition is to play for the Springboks. To be surrounded by that many Boks will elevate my game.

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“So I am in Durban to learn, to grow, and to contribute to the team. This is a very good progression in my career.

‘The quality of the players at the Sharks is incredible’

“I feel being in Durban gives me the best opportunity to take my career to the next level. The quality of the players at the Sharks is incredible.

“I have been here in Durban for three weeks and am taking everything in.”

Van der Merwe also revealed that working under Sharks head coach John Plumtree is something which he has found enjoyable since joining his new team.

“One of the big reasons I chose the Sharks is because they are a team competing for trophies, and that is something I want to achieve,” he said.

“I want to be part of a winning team. I find John Plumtree a very knowledgeable coach. I have enjoyed working under him, and we had the warm-up game against the Stormers last week.

“It is interesting to see how he operates on game day. I especially enjoy his speeches before training and the games. He is a coach I can play for.”

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