And that brings us back to Cockerill, head coach of Edinburgh at the time.
“We signed him for not a lot of money, but he had this hip issue,” he said. “There was a problem with the cartilage in his hip and he failed his medical. He needed surgery. He was going to be missing for three or four months.
“I’m thinking, ‘Well, he’s going to be good and he’s not expensive, let’s look after him and over time that breeds trust and loyalty’.
“Some members of the SRU said, ‘He’s not fit, he’s failed his medical, so we shouldn’t keep him. He’s effectively in breach of contract’.
“It was madness. Some at Murrayfield would not have had him because he was injured, but a little patience and he’s turned out to be one of the best in the world.”
Cockerill saved the SRU from itself. Of course, the irony of an Englishman fighting for a player who’s been the slayer of England is not lost on him. The whole thing appeals to his sense of devilment.
But there was more to it than just signing Van der Merwe. There was developing him, too. And he needed some amount of developing.
There are still aspects of his game that are far from world class – defence, work-rate, ability in the air. He seems to save his best stuff for Test rugby, which can be a bugbear of Edinburgh fans.
But, when he’s on, boy, he’s unplayable.
“He understands the game better now than he did before,” Cockerill said. “He’s turned into more of a complete player, but back then it was just raw pace – and you can’t coach speed, can you?
“In the early stages with Edinburgh, he was very wooden. Finishing wasn’t a problem, but understanding the game defensively needed improving, to say the least.
“Catching the ball was a problem. At the start, when the the ball was in the air, you were closing your eyes and hoping he’d catch it.
“The boys used to take the mickey out of him because, you know, he’s not going to win any crossword competitions. But put a rugby ball in his hands and watch out.”
