He made his first class debut for the Lions in their match against Van der Merwe's former side, the Griffons, coming on as a second-half substitute to help them to a 48–16 victory in Welkom.
[2] Van der Merwe moved back to the Free State in 2011 to enroll at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein.
However, despite Van der Merwe scoring his third try of the campaign in the final against Wits, they lost the match 17–19 to remain in the Varsity Shield competition for another two years.
[7] Van der Merwe's performances didn't go unnoticed and he was included in the Griffons squad for the 2012 Vodacom Cup at the conclusion of the Varsity Shield.
[8] He also scored a try in his second appearance for the Griffons, a late consolation in a 28–50 defeat to the Blue Bulls in their final match of the regular season.
Van der Merwe had a very productive season, scoring five tries in his side's run to help them earn promotion to the 2015 Varsity Cup.