MARNUS VAN DER Merwe’s full name is Marthinus Stephanus van der Merwe.

Marthinus derives from Mars, the Roman god of war, and essentially means ‘warlike.’

This, as Munster fans are seeing, is fitting for the South African hooker.

Van der Merwe has made a strong start to life with the province since joining from Scarlets during the summer, and he earned the player of the match award in Munster’s URC draw with Ulster last weekend.

Van der Merwe wasn’t quite an under-the-radar signing. He is a Springboks-capped hooker, after all. But it is fair to say Munster luring him to Ireland didn’t make huge waves.

This is partly because van der Merwe played for the Cheetahs in South Africa up until 2024. The Bloemfontein-based franchise have featured in the Challenge Cup since 2023, but the fact that they aren’t in the URC means they don’t get much coverage.

Van der Merwe joined the Scarlets in 2024, and although his performances in the past two seasons were impressive, the Welsh regions don’t tend to get a look-in here in Ireland either.

Van der Merwe is 29 now, so he’s a relatively experienced hooker. And if you’re good enough for Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks, you know you’re a good player.

Van der Merwe scored two tries on his South Africa debut against Georgia in July 2025 before coming off the bench against Australia and New Zealand in that year’s Rugby Championship. He hasn’t been capped again since, although that’s partly due to injury.

Signing van der Merwe was a big deal for Munster, who have long been looking for more physical edge and set-piece prowess in their tight five. At 117kg, van der Merwe is Munster’s heaviest hooker, and he puts his size and strength to good use.

Van der Merwe has been a central figure in Munster’s excellent scrum form early on in this campaign, which has been a welcome sight for the province after their repeated travails in this area in recent seasons.

Above, we see Munster winning the ball against the head at the very first scrum of the day against Ulster, setting a tone for what was to follow.

Van der Merwe, like all South African hookers, brings a set-piece-first mentality. He combines explosively with Munster loosehead Jeremy Loughman here, lifting Ulster tighthead Keynan Knox off the ground briefly.

With the experienced Kieran Brookes hard at work on the tighthead side, Munster thunder forward and play away from a dominant scrum turnover. The southern province won three further scrum penalties while van der Merwe was on the pitch.

Van der Merwe is also regarded as a reliably accurate lineout thrower, which is something that Munster hope will help their efforts in this important area too.

Munster’s maul was strong against Ulster, with van der Merwe finishing one try from that source.

Van der Merwe is patient in this instance, allowing Tadhg Beirne to provide a buffer in front of him before he finishes his first Munster try.

This score stems from a van der Merwe turnover at the breakdown.

The South African hooker is particularly adept in this department of the game and came up with four poaches against Ulster.

In the instance below, we see him hovering just behind the frontline defence after a Munster restart. Van der Merwe signals for Beirne to go and get involved in the tackle as the hooker hangs back slightly.

This is a tactic Munster occasionally employ, as they aim for a ‘trapdoor’ effect whereby the ball-carrier falls to the other side of the tacklers, creating some separation from their team-mates, which in turn allows the designated jackal – van der Merwe in this case – time to target the ball.

And that’s what happens in this instance, with Beirne and Loughman relatively passive into the tackle and Ulster lock Ben Donnell emerging on the other side in an exposed position.

Van der Merwe shows his speed onto the ball and then his balance and strength to withstand the belated clearout effort.

Munster are awarded the penalty, they kick into the corner, and van der Merwe scores his maul try.

Van der Merwe had three other breakdown steals against Ulster as he proved to be a constant menace.

Van der Merwe’s work rate off the ball is rewarded in this instance after he swings in behind the frontline defence, having initially folded over towards the other side of the pitch.

Like all good jackals, van der Merwe is always alert to the possibility of a poach. This takes good concentration and fitness, along with the technical skill required over the ball.

In attack, van der Merwe made seven carries for Munster against Ulster, and he is proficient at this part of the game too, thanks to his power and size.

Van der Merwe is also seen as a consistent player who generally performs well. Even if he is not providing fireworks, he is seen as someone Clayton McMillan and co. can depend on to pitch up physically and bring a real edge to his game.

Van der Merwe has made a fine start to life with Munster, who are excited that there is still more to come from the South African hooker.