FRANCO van der Merwe is excited by the prospect of helping London Irish try and regain their place in the Aviva Premiership.

The South African second row has returned to his homeland following Exiles relegation from the top flight, but said he is looking forward to coming back for pre-season on Wednesday, June 13 – around the time their Greene King IPA Championship fixtures will be revealed The 35-year-old, who played more minutes than any other player in the Premiership, said: “I’m enjoying a bit of family time in South Africa for a couple of weeks and then we’ll head back to London for a couple of days before pre-season starts.

“I’ll be having a nice break from the game, but in saying that I’ll be looking after myself as I don’t want to arrive for pre-season overweight.

“It’s nice to have some time off, but I know the guys are excited and after the team meeting prior to the summer break, there were a lot of positive vibes.”

Van der Merwe is also looking forward to working with technical director Declan Kidney and head coach Les Kiss, who he previously played under while at Ulster, both of who arrived late in the season and look set to carry on despite the club’s relegation.

He commented: “We have two new coaches in the management team and I’m sure they will be looking to do lots of work with us during pre-season to get us playing the style of rugby that they want.

“I’ve not played in the Championship before, but I’ve heard that it’s a lot more physical than the Premiership and it’s an upfront battle, which I’m looking forward to."

“I think it’s important we set a good foundation and ensure that the club is in a good shape longer-term.

"Whoever we recruit must fit into the culture of the club and the way that we want to play – we have to gel as a team and get those players into the right positions for the future.”