Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Scotland's next Saffa import? 6'9, 123kg David Meihuizen 'formally approached'

David Meihuizen (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)

Scotland could be about to acquire a new South African import in the shape of giant DHL Stormers’ lock David Meihuizen. WP coach John Dobson revealed that Scottish scouts are offering the 23-year-old, Cape Town-born and Paarl schooled, second row forward a highly lucrative deal to come North.

ADVERTISEMENT

Meihuizen will feature in a Province team that shows seven changes when they host the Pumas in a Currie Cup Round Three encounter at Newlands on Friday. Meihuizen is in for seasoned lock John Schickerling, who is being rested.

However, the decision also relates to the desperate desire to keep the Euro scouts at bay.

Video Spacer

Zebo calls out World Rugby:

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 4:09
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 4:09
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Zebo calls out World Rugby:

    “He is a really exciting player that is in high demand overseas,” Dobson told a virtual media briefing, adding that Meihuizen qualifies for England and Scotland. If we don’t play him or give him opportunities, it is going to be harder to retain him.”

    Dobson said he has to be realistic about the management of his resources.

    “We see him as a player with a big future. He is in high demand in Scotland [and] there have been some formal approaches via his agent.

    “In Scotland, if you get a 2.08m, 123kg player, that is a big unit.”

    “I can’t wait till next year, and David Meihuizen comes to me, saying: ‘I got 12 minutes or 30 minutes in the whole competition, it is not enough for my development. I am going.’

    “I have to be cognizant of that and address it.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    There has been plenty of other rumours around WP players, in the wake of the financial dramas playing themselves out in Cape Town.

    “There are a lot of rumours and a lot of smoke at the moment,” Dobson said, when asked by Rugby 365 about his players, adding: “[If there’s smoke] you must suspect there must be fire.

    “No player has told me officially they are going.

    “I know that Harlequins are after a couple of our forwards. There has been an article that [WP captain] Siya [Kolisi] may be in demand elsewhere in South Africa,” the coach said about the suggestion that Kolisi could be courted by the Sharks.

    “There is a perpetual rumour about Damian Willemse going to the Bulls.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “There is a lot of smoke, but the window [for negotiation] with those players is not open for a couple of months yet.”

    However, the Meihuizen situation is very is different. “He is not an established guy coming off a contract,” Dobson said, adding: “He is a young guy that has to make a call on his future and we really, really want to keep him in this union.”

    – Rugby 365

    ADVERTISEMENT
    LIVE

    Chile vs Brazil | Men's International

    Classic Wallabies vs British & Irish Legends | First Match | Full Match Replay

    Did the Lions loosies get away with murder? And revisiting the Springboks lift | Whistle Watch

    The First Test, Visiting The Great Barrier Reef & Poetry with Pierre | Ep 6: The Ultimate Test

    KOKO Show | July 22nd | Full Throttle with Brisbane Test Review and Melbourne Preview

    New Zealand v South Africa | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

    USA vs England | Men's International | Full Match Replay

    France v Argentina | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

    Lions Share | Episode 4

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    0 Comments
    Be the first to comment...

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    F
    Flankly 24 minutes ago
    Maro Itoje: What was said as Lions fell 'far behind' on scoreboard

    This is what dreams are made of

    Umm. Credit to a winning team, but to be clear … the team you beat is ranked 6th in the world, did not make it out of the pool stage of the last RWC, and came last in the 2024 Rugby Championship. Not sure any bookie has them as favorites for the 2025 RC either.


    Australia have made progress for sure, and of course that matters. But for a team made up of 4 leading rugby nations, including two that are ranked much higher than this opposition, a win is expected and a loss would be humiliating. Furthermore, with weeks of playing together, planning together and living together it is hard to argue that the Lions have had less opportunity for cohesion than Australia.


    A win is a win, and no-one should question that. But a last-minute one-score win that depended on a 50/50 penalty call is one to humbly accept, rather than to crow about. It was neither a beating, nor even a compelling win. I thought win was not undeserved, but it’s a close call on which was the better team on the day.


    And let’s get off this nonsense about it being like a world cup final. The local pub teams may feel that their big game is like a world cup final, but it’s stupid to pretend it is the reality. The RWC final is played by two of the top teams in the world, and there is no evidence that either of these teams fits that description. There is a game in Eden Park later this year between the #1 and #2 ranked teams that would be a lot closer to it, of course.


    Well done to the Lions, and congrats to the Wallabies. Let’s enjoy a good game for what it was, without pretending it was something bigger than it was.

    1 Go to comments
    LONG READ
    LONG READ ‘USA have a way to go to fulfil Moonshot mission but 2031 RWC will be a success’ ‘USA have a way to go to fulfil Moonshot mission but 2031 RWC will be a success’