Makazole Mapimpi says the Springboks are wary of the threat that South African-born
flyer Duhan van der Merwe poses as they prepare to face Scotland for the first time since the international spectacle in France last year.
The match will be at Scottish Gas Murrayfield in Edinburgh today.
Mapimpi, one of the wing options for the showdown, echoed his teammates’ sentiments that they are bracing themselves for a challenging duel against the Scots.
The hosts, ranked seventh in the world, will be going into the clash with confidence after last weekend’s morale-boosting 57-17 victory over Fiji.
“Duhan has been playing good rugby. I’ve been watching him play for Edinburgh in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, and we’ve faced one another a few times.
“He’s definitely a great player,” Mapimpi told the SA Rugby website.
The Springbok speedster was pleased with the work the team has put in on the training field since assembling close to two weeks ago and said their preparations have been going well.
“We had a good training week in Jersey, and it’s also been going well so far in Edinburgh this week, so we are really looking forward to the weekend.”
When quizzed about scoring two tries the last time the Boks visited Edinburgh in 2021, which South Africa won 30-15, the double Rugby World Cup winner was diplomatic in his response.
“That was three years ago, so it doesn’t have much significance for me going into this match,” he said.
“Playing here is always tough, and it’s a little cooler here than in South Africa, which adds to the challenge, but we are excited about the match.”
Mapimpi admitted that playing in the Vodacom URC assisted in building the familiarity between the Springboks and their opposition on their traditional November tour of the northern hemisphere, while he also drew confidence from the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ 28-24 victory over the Glasgow Warriors a few weeks ago in Durban.
“It’s definitely a good thing for both unions (playing in the Vodacom URC) and coming back to the Springboks that does give me some confidence, but we know it’s going to be a tough match this weekend and a different challenge altogether,” he said.
