The former Komatipoort Akademie and Hoërskool Nelspruit (NHS) pupil, Wimpie van der Walt, will face the British and Irish Lions in Murrayfield, Scotland, tomorrow afternoon.

The 32-year-old has been selected to play for Japan in the number-four jersey.

Tomorrow’s match will be the first-ever meeting between the British and Irish Lions and Japan.

“I am really happy to make the team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play the British and Irish Lions. We have a good team and group of players, and I am excited to play with them again for the first time since the World Cup,” Van der Walt told Lowvelder this morning.

He thanked the Onderberg community for their support over the years. “I will always call Komatipoort my home and I hope I can make the people proud.”

Van der Walt was born in Brits, but his family moved to Komatipoort when he was nine.

He learned his rugby wearing the colours of Komatipoort Akademie, and then attended NHS.

He represented the Pumas at the 2006 and 2007 Craven Weeks.

The following year he was contracted by the Western Province Rugby Academy and did not matriculate from NHS.

Van der Walt played first-class rugby for Western Province, for the San Gregorio (Italy) team, for Eastern Province/Southern Kings and for the Blue Bulls/Bulls before signing on for the NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes in Japan. He qualified for Japanese citizenship and was selected for the national team in 2017.

His mother, Rina, was thrilled by her son’s selection. “We are very proud of him. It is a great honour. It’s a very proud mother speaking to you,” she said this morning.

Van der Walt will earn his 17th cap for Japan tomorrow. He has scored two tries for the Brave Blossoms.

The match kicks off at 16:00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

The British and Irish Lions will arrive in South Africa on Monday for an eight-match tour.