Phillip Rudolph van der Merwe (born 3 June 1985 in
Potchefstroom
Potchefstroom (, colloquially known as Potch) is an academic city in the North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Potchefstroom is on the Mooi Rivier (Afrikaans for "pretty river" ...
) is a
South African rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
rugby player who plays in the lock position for
French Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...
side .
Career
Free State Cheetahs / Cheetahs
Van der Merwe attended
Grey College in
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...
before joining the Bloemfontein-based provincial side the . He made his first class debut for them in the
2006 Vodacom Cup – eventually starting eleven matches and playing off the bench on two occasions – and also made his
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...
debut in the second half of
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, three times appearing as a replacement during the competition.
In 2007, he got his first taste of
Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...
, starting two matches for the during the
2007 Super 14 season
The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. It finished on 19 May with the final at ABSA Stadium in Durban, in the first final between two South African teams in the history of Super Rugby. The ...
. He made five appearances in the
2007 Vodacom Cup
The 2007 Vodacom Cup was the 10th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby unio ...
, but his only Currie Cup involvement in 2007 came in one match on loan at the .
He made three appearances for the Cheetahs during the
2008 Super 14 season
The 2008 Super 14 season started in February 2008 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 31 May, when the Crusaders won their seventh Super Rugby title with a 20–12 victory over the Waratahs in front of the Crusaders' ...
and also scored his first try in Super Rugby. He played a bigger part in their Currie Cup campaign in 2008, making seven appearances.
Blue Bulls / Bulls
In 2009, Van der Merwe moved to
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...
to join the . He immediately established himself as a first-choice player for them, making eleven starts and two substitute appearances in the
2009 Currie Cup Premier Division
The 2009 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division season was the 71st season in the competition since it started in 1889. The competition was contested from 10 July through to 31 October.
It was won by the Blue Bulls, who defeated the Free State Cheetahs ...
. He also featured for the in the
2010 Super 14 season
The 2010 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2010 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 29 May. The 2010 season was the fifth and last season of the expanded Super 14 format. The schedule, which covers 3½ months, fea ...
before being called up to the
South African national team for the first time.
He became an important part of the Bulls side over the next few years, making 75 appearances for the side in
Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...
competitions between 2010 and 2015. He also featured in 39 first class matches for the Blue Bulls between 2009 and 2012, with national team call-ups and injury preventing him from playing for them in 2013 and 2014.
Clermont
Shortly before the
2015 Super Rugby season
The 2015 Super Rugby season was the 20th season of Super Rugby and the fifth season featuring an expanded 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition was known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New ...
, the announced that Van der Merwe would leave after the
2015 Currie Cup Premier Division to take up a contract with
French Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...
side .
He was later given an early release from his contract and made the move to Clermont during the Currie Cup campaign.
Representative rugby
On 12 June 2010, he played his first test for the
South African national team, the Springboks, against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He missed out on selection to the
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...
, but established himself as a regular for the team over the next few years, appearing in 36 test matches prior to his move to Clermont in 2015.
Personal
His father
Flippie was also a rugby player, making six appearances for South Africa between 1981 and 1989.
References
External links
*
Flip van der Merweat Springbok Rugby Hall of Fame
Flip van der Merweat thebulls.co.za
at skysports.com
at itsrugby.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Der Merwe, Flip
1985 births
Living people
Afrikaner people
Alumni of Grey College, Bloemfontein
Blue Bulls players
Bulls (rugby union) players
Cambridge University R.U.F.C. players
Cheetahs (rugby union) players
Free State Cheetahs players
Rugby union locks
Rugby union players from Potchefstroom
South Africa international rugby union players
South African expatriate rugby union players
South African people of Dutch descent
South African rugby union players