Marnus van der Merwe will head across the Irish Sea to Limerick this summer carrying with him fond memories of his two years in West Wales.
The hooker arrived in Llanelli from the Toyota Cheetahs in 2024, quickly establishing himself as a huge fans favourite at Parc y Scarlets with his heart-on-the-sleeve approach to the game.
His outstanding form in his first season saw him named in the URC’s Elite XV; receive the fans player-of-the-season award and a couple of months later realise his boyhood dream of wearing the green and gold of the Springboks.
“I am grateful to the Scarlets and everyone who has supported me, coaches who have been hard on me, everything that has made me a better player here. I couldn’t have picked a better club to be at,” says Marnus, who will be joining URC rivals Munster next season.
“The Scarlets helped me achieve my dream of becoming a Springbok. From the moment I came here they told me they wanted to push me to help me get there. I am grateful every step of the way for them helping me make my dream come true. I have made a lot of friends here and will never forget this place.”
With three matches remaining in the URC season, Marnus is determined to end his time in Llanelli with a bang – starting on Saturday against his compatriots from the Pretoria-based Vodacom Bulls.
“It hasn’t been the season I wanted and a lot of guys will say the same,” he adds. “But we have three games left and hopefully we can bring some smiles to fans’ faces and get a win on the weekend.
“The Bulls will be coming here loaded with Springboks, a lot of good players, a lot of physical players, a lot of players who want to prove something. They will be favourites, but we need to go out there with the underdog mentality and really step up physically.”
Scarlets have won both their previous home matches against the Bulls, but will face a side in buoyant mood following their emphatic 47-7 win over the Dragons last weekend.
“It is always great to play against guys you have trained with and know very well,” adds Marnus.
“But for me, the focus is all about my game and bringing that to the field. Hopefully I can make a difference.
“As a team, going into each game we have never doubted ourselves, we believe we can win every game. We went to Bordeaux and were competitive and have done the same against other top sides in Europe.
“The boys have been hard on each other this week after last Saturday’s result (against Cardiff) and will be giving everything to get the win on Saturday.”