Schalk van der Merwe to join Ulster ahead of next season
Wednesday 8 March 2017 17:48, UK
Ulster have confirmed prop Schalk van der Merwe will join the province ahead of the 2017/18 season.
Southern Kings front-rower Van der Merwe, 26, will join the Guinness PRO12 side at the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season.
Van der Merwe earned 25 Super Rugby caps for the Lions in 2014 and 2015 and he has experience of European rugby from a spell with French club Montpellier.
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Director of rugby Les Kiss told Ulster's website: "Schalk is a talented player who I've been really impressed by - he was the cornerstone of the Lions scrum that dominated for a couple of Super Rugby seasons.
"In addition to his excellent scrummaging, he will give us some much-needed physicality in the loose, and this will be a major plus for us in the seasons ahead.
"He has a hard edge and he's determined to work hard to nail down a starting place here at Ulster.
"His arrival will give us much improved depth at loosehead, with Kyle McCall, Andy Warwick and Callum Black also on the books. As we've seen this season, injuries, particularly in the front row, mean that at times we're required to delve deep into our pool of resources.
"With the impending arrivals of Arno Botha and Schalk, the return to fitness of Marcell Coetzee, and the ongoing development of Academy players like Ross Kane, Aaron Hall, Tommy O'Hagan and Marcus Rea, we will have a much stronger roster of forwards to select from next season."
