O'Driscoll's unflattering assessment of van der Merwe

Lions and Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll was honest in his assessment of winger Duhan van der Merwe during the recent 2021 Lions series in South Africa but was not very complimentary of the 26 year-old.  

Van der Merwe gained selection for all three Tests but, like most of the Lions attackers, battled against the stringent Springbok defence. 

"He is destructive, he is not going to pass it - but big and physical teams know how to match that,” O’Driscoll said. “He couldn't impose himself on them because they're used to guys of his size coming at them." 

O’Driscoll also touched on the influence of Finn Russell as a possible missed opportunity. 

"We'll never know if things would have changed up dramatically with Dan Biggar, it didn't look like they were going to in the first 10 minutes. The fact that we got Finn Russell coming on was the only way we were going to change things up because I don't think he knows how to play any other way. 

"Biggar can play a more expansive game, he does for Wales and has done for Northampton. He mixes his game up really well, he doesn't play as flat to the line as Finn Russell but not many do. 

"Rewind back a month, it was all Biggar. Finn was one of the 'lucky' ones to get into this party, even though he deserved it, in my opinion. 

"Ultimately, he wasn't a shoo-in, whereas Biggar was and it was about Dan Biggar and Owen Farrell at 10, not Finn Russell. They thought they could limp across the line doing the same again and they got their comeuppance."