Will Duhan carry on with the SA legacy in the B&I jersey?

SPOTLIGHT: As the world gears up for the announcement of the British and Irish Lions squad, South Africans are keen to see if one of their homegrown products, Duhan van der Merwe, will make the final cut for a second time.

He toured to South Africa as part of the B&I Lions touring squad in 2021 after arriving in Scotland in 2017, where he joined Edinburgh after stints in France at Montpellier and South Africa with the Blue Bulls.

The Scotland record-breaking winger is facing a race against time to be fit for the tour to Australia, but things aren’t looking great.

The 29-year-old powerhouse, who has an incredible tally of 32 tries in just 49 Tests, picked up an ankle injury early in Edinburgh’s recent United Rugby Championship win over the Dragons.

Edinburgh revealed this week that Van der Merwe is “expected to return during May” following MRI scan results earlier in the week.

This means he is almost certain to miss somewhere between three and five matches, depending on their European Challenge Cup fate, just as Lions boss Andy Farrell prepares to finalise his touring squad.

As we all know, Van der Merwe would not be the first player born on the African continent to don the red B&I Lions jersey.

We take a look at the African-born players who went on to represent the Lions down the years.

In 2017, CJ Stander and Allan Dell represented the Lions against New Zealand.

Stander excelled, from SA Under-20 captain to playing in 51 Tests for Ireland and one for the Lions, against the All Blacks in a dramatic 15-15 draw at Eden Park that ensured the series was shared at 1-1.

Loosehead prop Dell played for the SA U20, who won the world title at Newlands in 2012. After a few years at the Sharks, he moved to Edinburgh and made his Scotland debut after qualifying through a Scottish grandmother.

Dell was an injury replacement on the Lions’ 2017 tour of New Zealand and played one game off the bench.

England centre Brad Barritt was another 2013 tourist, but he had a very different path to the Lions. Having established himself at the Sharks in his native Durban and reaching the final of the 2006 Under-21 World Championship for South Africa, he suddenly left the Sharks after winning the 2008 Currie Cup to join Saracens.

He qualified for England due to family ties and made his Test debut in 2012 against Scotland. Barritt was flown over to Australia as an injury replacement for the Lions and played in a couple of tour games.

Former England World Cup winner Mike Catt and England prop Matt Stevens were the other SA-born Lions of the modern era. Stevens toured New Zealand in 2005 and Australia in 2013.

Of course, Catt is now part of the coaching staff of the Lions, 24 years after featuring in the touring squad’s 1-2 loss to Australia.

Before the professional era, there were a few others, some from elsewhere on the African continent.

In 1896, Cuth Mullins, born in Grahamstown, South Africa, represented the British Isles XV on their tour of his home country. He was a South African forward and medical doctor who also played club rugby for Oxford University.

Then there was the remarkable Stan Harris in 1924. Not only was Harris an outstanding rugby player, but he also became an international in 1916. Harris recovered to play for Blackheath and five different sports.

He was a finalist in the World Amateur Ballroom Dancing Championships, survived injuries sustained in the First World War, and was a prisoner of war during the WW2. He worked as a prisoner of war on the Japanese railway in Siam.

Another South African-born Lion was Brian Black (lock, 10 caps, 1930-1933). A goal-kicking lock forward in the John Eales mould, Black represented the Lions, as well as the Great Britain bobsleigh team, but was killed in WW2 after joining the Royal Air Force.

Dyson ‘Tug’ Wilson, for the 1955 Lions, played for the Metropolitan Police and England in the back row, had spent the first eight years of his life in Wilderness, South Africa, and promptly returned to the land of his birth after the tour.

Graham Price was a fearsome Welsh prop who was one of the finest players of his generation. A giant for Pontypool, Wales, and the British and Irish Lions, he was a huge favourite of fans. Graham Price was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.

Price was born in Moascar, Egypt, but was brought up in Wales. After leaving school, he joined Pontypool. Here, he became part of a legendary front row that became known as the ‘Viet Gwent’, alongside Bobby Windsor and Charlie Faulkner. As a result, the side enjoyed a huge amount of success.

However, Price is undoubtedly best known for his international career. Between 1975 and 1983, he represented Wales 41 times. During his Wales career, he scored one of the greatest tries in Welsh rugby history on his debut, and he played a vital role as the side won the Grand Slam in the Five Nations (now the Six Nations Championship) in 1976 and 1978.

In addition to his stellar career for Wales, Graham Price’s ferociousness in the front row saw him play as a prop in a record 12 successive test matches for the British and Irish Lions between 1977 and 1983.

Simon Shaw was born in Nairobi, Kenya. He was educated at Runnymede College in Madrid and Godalming College in Surrey. He played for Bristol at 17, despite not taking up the game seriously until he was 16, after his family had moved to England.

The powerhouse second rower played for Bristol, London Wasps, and Toulon. He won 71 caps for England between 1996 and 2011, and two for the British & Irish Lions, with whom he toured three times.

Dafydd James (Mufulira, Zambia) was a strong running centre who crossed for 23 tries for Pontypridd in their domestic and European campaigns, and was a regular in the Wales senior team, going on to represent the British Lions on their tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2001.

He later went on to play for Llanelli, Celtic Warriors, London Harlequins, Llanelli Scarlets, Bridgend Ravens, and Cardiff Blues.