Hendrik Stefanus van der Merwe was an unlucky forward, for, excellent player though he was, he had little chance of replacing the Test pair of Avril Malan and Claassen. He was there, like Piet van Zyl, as a permanent reserve, and like a few of his colleagues was unlucky to suffer a nasty back injury during the Tour, which kept him in hospital in Wales for a considerable period and out of the last nine British matches. He was a good line-out man and a hard-working allround forward who impressed me in many matches. He was another player who was cool and calm on the field, but never shirked the hard work, and, like all Springbok locks, was dedicated to immaculate scrummaging and honest mauling. He first achieved fame by his play for the Northern Transvaal in provincial matches before making the Junior Springboks XV against the All-Blacks in 1960. He played well then and when Claassen fell out through injury for the Fourth and final vital Test he was called to the Springbok colours and did a good job of work. A building inspector by profession, he should play rugby for many years if he has fully recovered from his injury.