The last thing the Springboks need is to be on the receiving end of a stinging Van der Merwe joke at the World Cup.
DTH (Daniel Tailliferre Hauman) van der Merwe is not a name South African rugby fans identify with easily.
But the wing with jet feet will loom large on the Bok radar during 2019 in the Japanese city of Kobe.
That is when South Africa face little fancied Canada in their last pool match at the Misaki Stadium on October 8.
In the Canadian ranks will be Van der Merwe, who has become better known to South Africans since the Isuzu Southern Kings started playing in the PRO14.
Van der Merwe is a player who knows his way to the tryline. He has scored a record 37 tries in 55 tests for Canada and is a prolific scorer for his club, Glasgow Warriors.
There has been little for Kings fans to get excited about in recent times. Their stunning win over Glasgow in September was a rare exception.
It ranks as one of the biggest upsets in the competition and the 38-28 winning margin sent shockwaves around the rugby world.
Despite being on the losing side that day, DTH was left with good memories of his appearance at the Madibaz Stadium.
The flying wing scored two tries for Glasgow.
The Kings, having experienced Van der Merwe’s tryscoring prowess first hand, know exactly what the Springboks will face next year.
Van der Merwe, who was born in the Western Cape, will tick another career goal off when the Canucks take on his native South Africa.
Van der Merwe’s five tries played a huge role in Canada winning the World Cup repechage tournament in Marseille, earning them the right to line up in Pool B alongside the Springboks, defending champions New Zealand, Italy and Namibia.
For Van der Merwe, who moved to Canada when he was 14 and has played his entire professional club career in Europe, qualification this time around presents him with a unique opportunity.
“I have never played against South Africa in a 15s game, so to get the chance to do that will be really special,” he told World Rugby.
“I’d never even played professionally in South Africa until this season when Glasgow were in the PRO14 and we went there to play the Cheetahs. It is like the stars aligning.”
While relishing the prospect of playing against the Springboks and also becoming only the third Canadian to appear at four Rugby World Cups, Van der Merwe is just as excited for his teammates who have yet to experience playing at that level.
“As a guy who has been to three World Cups, it was my responsibility to help the young guys to get to a World Cup,” he told World Rugby.
“As a player, you need to experience that. You feel like a super hero when you are there.”
There is history between South Africa and Canada at the World Cup and not all of it makes for pleasant reading.
It was a memorable tournament in 1995 for the Springboks, who went on to beat New Zealand 15-12 in the final in Johannesburg.
Unfortunately, their pool match in Port Elizabeth against the Canadians will be remembered for the wrong reasons, despite a 20-0 victory in a tense encounter at the Boet Erasmus Stadium.
A hard, physical match eventually boiled over with a brawl in the second half.
There was a scuffle between Bok wing Pieter Hendriks and Canadian counterpart Winston Stanley, before Canadian fullback Scott Stewart came flying in with a hit to the back of Hendriks's head.
Bok hooker James Dalton joined the scuffle to help his teammate, but appeared to spark things even more, before a mass brawl ensued.
Irish referee Dave McHugh opted to send off Dalton, Canadian captain Gareth Rees and prop Rod Snow.
Hendriks was cited afterwards and both he and Dalton were banned from the tournament, which allowed Chester Williams a way back into the Bok squad.
The Western Province wing had initially missed selection for the tournament due to injury.
Hopefully, when the Boks and Canada lock horns there will be no repeat of the infamous 1995 “Battle of the Boet”.
And keep a watch out for Van on the wing.