Franco Van Der Merwe Arrives In Belfast

It is a phrase that Franco van der Merwe has been hearing a lot over his first few days in Belfast. “The weather is always like this here…”  The 31 year-old South African international arrived this week to deceptively hot temperatures and to typical Ulster humour. Whatever the weather, the 6ft 6inch lock is looking forward to the challenge of coming into a new set-up:

Moving out of South Africa to somewhere totally new is the biggest step of my career,” he says. “My wife and I are so excited to come to Ulster. We have heard so many good things from previous players, from Johann and Ruan, everyone is just so positive and they speak so well about the Province.

“In terms of rugby, there is no reason for me to come here and to try and reinvent the wheel. I can only do the basics. I am here because of what I did in South Africa so I am going to do the same things again.”

Van der Merwe spent eight years at the Golden Lions, winning the Currie Cup in 2011. He played his 99^th and final game for them earlier this month:

“I have a lot of memories from the Lions.” he says. “I enjoyed every single day there. They gave me so much opportunity and they backed me from day one. I met up with a lot of players but over the years I made good friends - I know that they are friends for a lifetime.”

So what do the next few days look like for Franco and his family?

“At this stage it is really about getting all the admin sorted – getting sim cards, banking details and getting a place to stay. I am meeting up with a few of the guys, talking to them about where to go and what to see. Basically just getting to know the city and getting to know the facilities."

And what about that weather?

“I hope that it can stay like this for quite a while but everyone was saying that it is always raining here. I don’t know what everyone was complaining about! It’s really nice to see the sun. I am enjoying the beautiful weather and I am enjoying the beautiful scenery.”

Long may he enjoy life at Ulster Rugby.