Scarlets hooker Marnus van der Merwe will pull on the senior Springboks jersey for the first time on Saturday when he features for South Africa in their opening clash of the summer against the Barbarians in Cape Town on Saturday.
Marnus has enjoyed an outstanding first season in West Wales, culminating in him being voted the Scarlets’ Supporters’ Player of the Season and named in the BKT URC Elite XV for 2024-25.
The 28-year-old is one of four uncapped players – along with Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Sharks flanker Vincent Tshituka and Stormers prop Neethling Fouche – named in a strong 23 by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and is included on the bench.
Erasmus said: “The uncapped players have all slotted into our systems really well and have a good understanding of what we want to do in this match, while it also presents us with a fantastic opportunity to see how they measure up against a handful of experienced players in the Barbarians team.
“This may not be an official Test match, but we are approaching it as such, and a good result will hopefully set us on course for an exciting season.
“Asenathi, Vincent, Neethling, and Marnus have all been impressive at training and for their respective franchises this season, and we hope to see them replicate those quality performances in this match.”