Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland duo celebrate British and Irish Lions call-up for Australia tour

Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland duo Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe have given emotional responses to being named in the British and Irish Lions squad that will tour Australia this summer.

For Schoeman, the call up means he will be part of a Lions tour for the first time as he is rewarded for some outstanding performances for club and country in recent years and he will hope to force his way into Andy Farrell’s 15 starters when the first test against the Wallabies takes place at Lang Park in Brisbane on Saturday, July 19. The former Blue Bulls front row forward will face intense competition in a Lions squad packed with talent - but Schoeman has revealed he is ready to put in the hard work as he gets to live out one of his dreams.

“I’m so excited, humbly, I’m grateful and now the hard work starts,” said the prop in an interview shown via Edinburgh Rugby’s social media channels.

Duhan van der Merwe joins his close friend Pierre Schoeman in celebrating his Lions call-up. | SNS Group

“It’s amazing, if you have a dream and you work hard, you go through any storm, any season, you just crack on and have to believe in that dream. Everyday, you chipping in the right direction, changing trajectory, you have to work hard and you have to believe in yourself. But it’s your peers as well, your team members, the family you surround yourself with and probably the biggest thing for me, it’s my faith, God, to believe in God, to believe if you are born with the talent, you can do anything if you believe.”

For Van der Merwe, representing the Lions will not be a new experience. The powerful wing was part of the squad that were suffered a 2-1 series defeat in South Africa four years ago and started all three tests against the Springboks as well as scoring six tries in five warm up fixtures. However, there will be a new experience for Van der Merwe when he heads down under with the current crop of Lions as they will be backed by an impressive band of travelling support after Covid-19 restrictions meant supporters were unable to travel to South Africa four years ago.

Reflecting on his selection and what lies ahead, Van der Merwe added: “It’s been a tricky time for me over the last couple of weeks by not playing. So I always had that in the back of my head. I’ve not had any days off since I picked up the niggle in my ankle and the club decided to give me today off, which you can imagine was long and brutal. It was a long wait but I am absolutely buzzing to be in the squad. Just to get that second opportunity, four years ago I didn’t get the opportunity to play in front of our fans, hopefully this time around I do. I feel very privileged to be selected for the squad for a second time. I was very nervous waking up this morning because I really wanted to go on a second tour and have that experience of having fans over there. I guess when I get home and I sit down hopefully it will all sink in but I am so shocked but at the same time, so happy.”

What has Sean Everitt said about Duhan van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman being named in the British and Irish Lions squad?

Edinburgh Rugby head coach Sean Everitt (Photo by Ewan Bootman / SNS Group) | SNS Group

The Edinburgh Rugby head coach told the club website: “We are absolutely thrilled for Duhan and Pierre on their selection for the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. It is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the consistent high level of performance they have delivered for Edinburgh Rugby. Duhan has proven himself on the international stage with the Lions before, and for Pierre to earn his first call-up is fantastic and richly deserved. As a club, we are incredibly proud to have them representing Edinburgh on such a prestigious international platform this summer.”

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