Prop monsters helped hooker

Springbok debutant Marnus van der Merwe (above) said facing up to monster team-mates Ox Nche and Wilco Louw helped sufficiently prepare him for the physicality brought by Georgia during the Boks 55-10 win over the Eastern Europeans at the Mbombela Stadium over the weekend.

- Ross Roche

Van Der Merwe, who received his first official Springbok cap, after he first wore the green and gold in the non-Test against the visiting Barbarians in Cape Town a few weeks ago, said that they were well prepared thanks to the tough training they went through in the build up to the Test.

It was also a dream start for the hooker, as he scored twice off the back of dominant rolling mauls, during his 44 minutes on the field before he was replaced early in the second half.