Alvi van der Merwe

Albertus Viljoen van der Merwe, known as Alvi van der Merwe, was a South African international rugby union player and wine farmer.
Born in Rawsonville, van der Merwe attended the nearby Worcester Boys' High School, where he picked up rugby. He completed his secondary education at Rondebosch Boys' High School and afterwards became a fruit farmer in Worcester.
A sturdy forward, van der Merwe represented Western Province Country in the 1928 [New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa|1928 All Blacks'] tour opening fixture and is credited with scoring the first try against a touring New Zealand team in South Africa. He gained his Springboks cap no.221 on the 1931–32 South Africa [rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland|1931–32 tour of Britain and Ireland], playing as a wing–forward against Wales at St. Helens.

Legacy

In 1928, during the visit of the New Zealand “Invincibles” rugby team to South Africa, van der Merwe, then aged 19, scored the first try ever recorded against the touring side on African soil. He was later selected as the 221st player to represent South Africa as a Springbok.
That number, 221, has since become emblematic of his legacy. The van der Merwe family’s wine estate, Alvi’s Drift, established on the Breede River near Worcester, commemorates him through its 221 Range, named in his honour and symbolising his contribution to South African rugby history.
The farm itself takes its name from a low-water bridge constructed by van der Merwe across the Breede River in 1928 to connect his property with the surrounding valley. The bridge became known locally as “Alvi’s Drift,” a name that eventually came to identify both the estate and the wines produced there.