Van der Merwe and Dee Named in Barbarians Starting Lineup
Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe and Wales hooker Elliot Dee will start for the Barbarians in their upcoming match against South Africa, scheduled for Saturday at 14:00 BST.
Van der Merwe will participate in this fixture against the Springboks before joining Gregor Townsend's squad for the Nations Championship. Meanwhile, Dragons hooker Dee, who has earned 56 caps, was not selected for Steve Tandy's summer squad.
The Barbarians team is captained by New Zealand scrum-half TJ Perenara and features Argentina fly-half Tomas Albornoz. Edinburgh's D'Arcy Rae and Liam McConnell, both members of Scotland's summer squad, are also included, alongside Munster centre Alex Nankivell.
Additional Team News and Context
Wales prop Assiratti has been ruled out of the summer series, while Callender returns as Wales introduces new players. Scotland faces a challenging summer involving air miles, altitude, and matches against the Springboks.
The Barbarians men will face South Africa and then Wales at Twickenham on Saturday, 27 June (14:00 BST) in a double-header that also includes a women's fixture at 17:00 BST.
South Africa is preparing for the Nations Championship but will be without their Bulls players due to the United Rugby Championship (URC) Grand Final at Leinster, which takes place on Friday at 19:30 BST.
Coach Rassie Erasmus plans to evaluate several prospects during the double-header at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The first match will see South Africa A host Zimbabwe.
The matches are held in Gqeberha, the new name for the city formerly known as Port Elizabeth.
Match Lineups
South Africa: Fassi; Kolbe, Kriel, Esterhuizen, van der Merwe; Horn, Williams; Nche, Venter, Sadie, Norton, Mostert, Kolisi (capt), du Toit, Wiese.
Replacements: Kotze, Mchunu, Porthen, Dixon, de Villiers, Roos, de Klerk, Moyo
Barbarians: Gellant; Kellaway, Vakatawa, Nankivell, D van der Merwe; Albornoz, Perenara (capt); Vivas, Dee, Rae, Molina, Moon, Petti, Bosher, Fai'ilagi.
Replacements: Oviedo, Kebble, Delgado, Rodda, McConnell, Arata, Plummer, Samusamuvodre.
