Captain's profile: Danie van der Merwe

Volkskool skipper Danie van der Merwe believes team unity will trump individualism when they tackle Union High on Saturday.

Van der Merwe, an eighthman with a knack of winning turnovers, emphasises cohesion as a key component of his team’s success.

“The team always comes first,” he says. “We don’t have one particular star player who carries the team, we’re an all-round strong side.

“We have four Craven Week players and one Academy Week player in our team so we’re well balanced. We play as a team for the team.”

Looking to the weekend’s game, Van der Merwe says, “It’s the biggest game of the year and the last game for many of us so we simply have to win.

“We’re going into the match with nothing to lose, great team spirit and added motivation,” he says.

The added motivation Van der Merwe refers to is denying Union High a hat-trick of victories after having won the two previous derbies between the schools.

“They want to make it three in a row this year but that’s not going to happen,” says the confident Volkskool captain.

Van der Merwe will enrol at Pukke next year where he plans to make a name for himself in koshuis rugby.