Franco van der Merwe determined to end Ulster career on a high

Franco van der Merwe is targeting a strong end to his Ulster career and remains hopeful of securing another end of season playoff.

The 34-year-old lock is leaving the province at the end of the season to join PRO12 rivals Cardiff. His 3 year stay in Belfast could see him reach another playoff, but Ulster will need a strong finish to break back into the top 4.

The challenge will begin this weekend as they travel to Ospreys, who currently sit one place and one point above them in the table.

Van der Merwe says he's not focusing on his own career.

"It will be special if we can go on to the playoffs, but it's not just about me, it's about the team. If I'm involved that'll be brilliant, and if I'm not then I'm still going to celebrate. I hope we can end on a high."

The one-cap Springbok's venture to Belfast was his first experience playing outside of his home country. He says the province will always remain special to him, and that these closing weeks will be an emotional time.

"I have to keep my focus on what we want to achieve together. After the last game together, then I'll start thinking about Cardiff, where I'm going to live - but for now, it's all about this weekend."

Should Ulster win on Saturday, they'll return to the top 4 and find themselves back into semi final contention. However, the final game of the season is an awkward looking home encounter against Leinster.

Van Der Meewe believes a weekend loss in Wales would effectively end their season.

"It would be extremely tricky after that. It's why we can't even look at next weekend let alone the playoffs. It's easy to say 'we need to win', but we need to just focus on this weekend and our system."