Busy Franco van der Merwe would love a Munster scalp

Ulster’s Springbok lock Franco van der Merwe has only been in Ireland 18 months but fully understands the significance of this afternoon’s derby date with Munster.

He will play his fourth game against Anthony Foley’s squad, but has yet to chalk up a victory after three defeats and last year’s skin-of-their-teeth 23-23 draw thanks to an injury-time conversion by fly-half Paddy Jackson.

The 32-year-old van der Merwe is the busiest player in Ulster’s squad, having sat out just two games this season. But the former Sharks lock wants to extend Ulster’s four-match winning streak and finally nail a victory over their southern rivals.