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DTH van der Merwe is leaving Scarlets at the end of the season. The Guinness Pro 12 club has confirmed that the Canadian test star will be moving to the Aviva Premiership next season to take up a three-year deal with a to-be-confirmed Aviva Premiership club. Numerous media sources have indicated that Newcastle Falcons are the club that has won the race to capture the 30-year-old’s signature. The deal will run through to the end of the 2019-20 season, after which van der Merwe intends to retire to pursue a career in firefighting.
This will be the fourth European home for the highly-rated outside back, having enjoyed a six-year stay in Scotland with Glasgow Warriors prior to his current two-year deal in Wales. He had a brief stay with Saracens following the 2007 World Cup but did not make an Aviva Premiership appearance at that time.
Used to great effect as an outside centre by Canada at the 2011 World Cup, van der Merwe has since played almost exclusively on the wing for club and country. Newcastle could however view him as a solution to their troublesome 13 jersey with several talented wingers already on their books. Such a move would also interest Canadian coach Mark Anscombe, who also has exciting wingers Taylor Paris and Jeff Hassler among others at his disposal heading towards the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
van der Merwe will be the second Canadian international to take up residence at Kingston Park next season. Second row Evan Olmstead is in the first of a two-year deal with the club, while there are five further Americas players on their books. Argentine brothers Santiago and Juan Pablo Socino, utility back Belisario Agulla, new US Eagles cap Nick Civetta, and Chicago-born prop Paddy Ryan are all at the club, though only Juan Pablo is currently contracted through next season.
