By NEALE HARVEY
SECOND row enforcer Franco van der Merwe has revealed why the lure of working under South African legend Brendan Venter persuaded him to join London Irish once it became clear Cardiff Blues were willing to release him.
Capped once by South Africa in 2013, van der Merwe had been due to join Cardiff from Ulster this summer, but with the cashstrapped Welsh region looking to trim their wage bill, the powerful former Lions lock headed for London instead.
Van der Merwe told The Rugby Paper: “I was excited to join Cardiff and they were excited to have me, but things out of ou...