A year full of great success
Danie van der Merwe was born in Windhoek and sport has always played an important role in his life.
Octavia Tsibes Pull quote: Rugby also develops you as a person - Danie van der Merwe
Danie van der Merwe is making the most of every sporting opportunity afforded to him.
“In high school I started to focus more on rugby and did not do any other sports besides athletics at the beginning of the year,” he says.
Over the last three years, under great coaching, he could really see an improvement in his rugby.
“I started playing rugby when I was in grade 1. What I loved about rugby was that on the field you are ‘enemies’, but as soon as you step off the field you are friends again,” he says.
Danie says the most challenging thing for him in rugby is that you need to be able to handle pressure, before and during a game.
He says all the challenges you have to face, as well as the disappointments, sometimes help you prepare for possible bigger disappointments you may experience later on in life.
“In 2016 I got the opportunity to be part of the first rugby team, but back then we still had a lot to learn and we needed a lot of space to develop our skills. It was a good three years, full of blood, sweat and tears; if I look at what we accomplished as a team it was totally worth it. It was an honour to be part of the system for these few years,” he says.
Danie has been the captain of the team since the beginning of last year.
“I always tried to keep the guys calm in difficult situations and put the pressure they feel back onto the opposing team.”
Danie is very grateful for the team and coaches for putting their trust in him to make the right decisions on and off the field, and to lead them as captain throughout the season. He says what made his leadership process easier was the great team, who played their part by putting the opposition under pressure.
“My teammates and I were on the same page; we wanted to win and at the same time have fun. We accomplished a lot of the goals we set throughout the years. When we accomplished them, it helped boost our confidence as a team.
“When I saw my teammates determined and eager to win, it motivated me to keep going until the end, and that is what we did,” he says.
Danie also loves spending time outdoors, away from the city, which helps him clear his mind and relieves stress. Spending time with his friends helps them build that brotherly bond between each other, and with that, one can see the difference it makes in a team environment.
Spending time with his family is very important to Danie, because they are his biggest support network, and without them he would surely not be where he is today.
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