Van der Merwe says the challenge of testing himself in a new environment helped him develop and pushed him towards international recognition.

“The players here have stepped up and they helped me improve as much as I helped them,” he added.

“We were hard on each other and tried to leave the jersey in a better place than we found it.”

Asked what his main memory of the Scarlets would be, Van der Merwe pointed to fulfilling a lifelong ambition.

“The friends I’ve made and the fact they have driven me to become a Springbok. I think that’s the main thing,” he said.

“The coaching staff helped me achieve my dream and every step from the start I joined here they told me they wanted to push to get me there.

“I’m grateful every step of the way for actually achieving that and making my dream come true, so I’m grateful for Scarlets for doing that. I’ll never forget this place.”

Before his departure, Van der Merwe is hoping to help Scarlets finish the season strongly, starting with this weekend’s tough test in Llanelli against a Bulls side packed with Springbok talent.

“They’re loaded with Springboks, a lot of good players, a lot of physical players,” he said.

“They’re the favourites, so we as a team just go out there as the underdogs.

“They are a good scrummaging side, a good mauling side, good ball runners, tough tackling and very physical.

“We just need to step up physically, make sure we are in the game physically, then you will have a good game at hand.”