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'This the first time we have played against each other since backyard rugby'
Akker and Duhan van der Merwe will take their backyard family rugby battles onto the AJ Bell pitch on Saturday night in a Sale Sharks versus Edinburgh precursor to what they hope will be a history-making family clash when the British and Irish Lions face South Africa in a three-Test series next July.
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Springboks forward Akker van der Merwe, 29, will be at hooker for Sale in the round two Heineken Champions Cup match while Edinburgh will include recently capped Scotland international Duhan, 25, on the left wing.
With Akker back on the Springboks radar after winning three caps in 2018 and Duhan one of the form wings available to the Lions selectors, a potential head-to-head in the three Test series would allow the family to make rugby history.
It is a prospect that Akker admits would be remarkable, something their parents back in South Africa would have to come to terms with.
Sale hooker van der Merwe told RugbyPass: “I’m trying to play as consistently as possible to put myself back in Springboks mix and that is the goal. It would be a huge achievement and a dream for me to play against the Lions.
‘I’d love to think I can make a difference (at international level). I’d like to think I can cause damage… I’d love to test myself if that opportunity comes’
– @duhanvdmerwe tells @JLyall93 about @EdinburghRugby and the circuitous route to prove himself
https://t.co/MYjaruxPYU— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 6, 2019
“I don’t think it has ever happened where the host nation has one brother and the Lions also has (another) one. If that was to happen I don’t think mum and dad would even watch because they wouldn’t be able to pick a side. I have never played against Duhan, who is now two caps ahead of me.
“We have spoken about him playing for Scotland and I’m very happy for him. I made my Springbok debut in Washington (against Wales) and the family could not be there and because of Covid, we couldn’t be at Murrayfield for Duhan’s debut. I had to watch the game on television.”
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Besides playing in very different positions – Duhan inhabiting the wide-open spaces on the wing while Akker is in the middle of the front row – the brothers also physically worlds apart.
Duhan is 6ft 4ins, 16st 6lbs and clean-shaven while his older brother is a bearded ball of physical energy, standing 5ft 7ins but exactly the same weight. Akker is known as the Angry Warthog, a nickname given to him by Nick Mallett, the ex-Springboks coach, when he saw him carry the ball into contact.
Akker added: “Nick Mallett described me as running like an angry warthog in my first game for the Lions in 2014 and it has just stuck.”
Duhan was part of the South Africa squad that finished runners-up at the 2014 Junior World Championship alongside Handre Pollard and Jesse Kriel. He has averaged a try every other game for Edinburgh and was named the PRO14 players’ player of the season for 2019/20. He qualified for Scotland on residency and collected five caps during the autumn along with three tries to highlight his power and pace.
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Both brothers have an eye for the try line which throws up the question – who is the quickest brother? “I was when we were younger,” said Akker, the brothers getting their pace from their mother, who was a sprinter, and dad, who played hooker.
“Thankfully, it’s in the genes. I could probably take him on over five metres now but after that, no chance of me catching him. This the first time we have played against each other since backyard rugby when we went head to head. I had a bit of an advantage then because of the age gap but that doesn’t count anymore.
"We're not doing anything. It's poor."
Racially abused on his England debut, in the wake of the Matera furore, @YardeM fears little has changed in rugby
The Sale wing talks prejudice, Dimes & his campaign to end homelessness in Manchester
??@JLyall93https://t.co/wq7M2owgNR
— RugbyPass+ (@RugbyPassPlus) December 15, 2020
“Duhan has always been in the backs starting at school and I was a scrum-half, but that is now a few years and a few pounds ago! I’m very proud of him and hope to see Duhan playing in the Six Nations if the fixtures and travelling make it possible.
“I’m very proud and want to be there to support him through his achievements. When he came over I don’t think it was in the back of his head to play for Scotland, but he played well, got the opportunity and I’m very happy he got the chance.”
The brothers have been the target of misinformation on Duhan’s Wikipedia entry which claims Akker is named after clarinettist Acker Bilk while Duhan was named after Irish folk musician Johnny Duhan.
Neither is true, Akker instead being a family nickname that has come down the generations “I’m not named after Acker Bilk. That is absolutely not true. My nickname (Akker) started with my grandfather, then my father and now me.”
Akker was born in Vanderbijlpark but grew up in George where both brothers played for Outeniqua High and became the sixth and seventh international rugby players produced by the school.
Both suffering defeats in the opening weekend, @SaleSharksRugby go toe-to-toe with @EdinburghRugby in R2 ??
Which side will get their campaign kickstarted? ?#HeinekenChampionsCup XVs ?? pic.twitter.com/9gSGOJawoH
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) December 18, 2020
Akker put in another impressive performance when Sale lost at Toulon last weekend, late tries from Marland Yarde and James Phillips highlighting the attacking power the Sharks possesses, and they need to bounce back against Edinburgh who lost to 13-8 at home to La Rochelle.
The Toulon game ended a difficult week that had started with Steve Diamond, the director of rugby, leaving Sale and Paul Deacon taking over the role on a temporary basis.
“Edinburgh are a quality team with a lot of Scotland players and we are going to have to step up our performance for the full 80 minutes and not just for the last 20. It was obviously a shock to lose Dimes but Paul has stepped up and is doing a good job,” reckoned Akker.
“We played a lot of good rugby in Toulon and it was a case of errors when got into their 22 and we couldn’t convert those chances. But we stuck to our game plan and scored two beautiful tries. We will take confidence out of that.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Always reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
1 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
4 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
4 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to comments