5 Africans who played for the Lions, including Duhan van de Merwe

Rugby News
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 at 19:57
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Meet the players born in Africa who went onto represent the British & Irish Lions down the years, starting with the newest addition to that rather exclusive club.

#5. Duhan van de Merwe (George, South Africa)

The Scotland winger returns to the country of his birth as part of the squad to tour South Africa in 2021.
He has made a major impact since arriving in Scotland in 2017, when he joined Guinness PRO14 side Edinburgh after stints in France at Montpellier and South Africa with the Blue Bulls.
The 6ft 4in powerhouse qualified for Scotland through the residency rule and made his Test debut against Georgia in October 2020, where he scored a try in a 48-7 win.

#4. Mike Catt (Port Elizabeth, South Africa)

The Port Elizabeth-born playmaker dreamed of playing for the Springboks throughout his sport-fuelled youth, but he would instead achieve one of his career highlights playing not for but against the green and gold of South Africa.
Having appeared in a World Cup and won a Grand Slam with England in his three-year international career prior to the 1997 Lions tour, Catt admitted to being devastated to miss out on a place in Sir Ian McGeechan's original squad to tour his homeland.
He would eventually win a late call up after injury to Paul Grayson, meaning he would be presented with the ultimate honour of representing Britain and Ireland against the country in which he was born and raised.

#3. Graham Price (Moascar, Egypt)

The Welsh forward was a member of the famous Pontypool RFC front row known as the "Viet Gwent". He won 41 caps for Wales, and a record 12 for the British and Irish Lions as a prop forward.

#2. Simon Shaw (Nairobi, Kenya)

Shaw was born 1 September 1973 in Nairobi, Kenya. He was educated at Runnymede College in Madrid and at Godalming College in Surrey. He played for Bristol at 17, despite not taking up the game seriously until he was 16, after his family had moved to England from.
The powerhouse second-row played for Bristol, London Wasps and Toulon. He won 71 caps for England between 1996 and 2011, and two for the British & Irish Lions, with whom he toured three times.

#1. Matt Stevens (Durban, South Africa)

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