Rugby people was saddened by the news of the death of Morne van der Merwe (39) this week but soon dressing room tales emerged about this likeable prop that played for the Stormers, Western Province and started his career in the Eastern Province.
There was one punch on the rugby field that Van der Merwe threw that he was not proud of. If you wanted to get him cross, you only had to refer to that day in 1996 in Witbank when EP played South Eastern Transvaal (Mpumalanga).
Van der Merwe was one of the first rugby players in South Africa that was cited for foul play under new rules after the Witbank brawl. It was a bizarre incident.
In the EP pack with Van der Merwe there were well-known names like Andre Vos, Adri Geldenhuys and Willie Meyer and things got really rough against the no-nonsense home side that included tough men like Rudi Visagie and Chaka Willemse.
A lot of punches were thrown but the timing of Van der Merwe’s later became a topic itself.
Just a few seconds before referee Dan de Villiers blew the final whistle, Van der Merwe let loose with a haymaker from behind on Hakkies Swart.
Some players, including Van der Merwe, were already in the dressing room when they got called back the ref.
De Villiers did not see the punch but the touch judge on the other side of the field, Nico Steenekamp, came across to point it out to him.
De Villiers called Van der Merwe back, had a word with him but said nothing could be done and that the match was over.
South Eastern Transvaal found video evidence of the incident and complained to the South African bosses that made Van der Merwe one of the first to be trialled in this manner.
Van der Merwe has apologised on numerous occasions for that punch and all was forgotten between rugby men but it was always nice to taunt the big man (from a distance) about that punch in Witbank.
Also read Henk’s Hint.
