Duhan van der Merwe's freakish warning over athleticism in Lions year

Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe has vowed to repay Edinburgh for launching him to rugby stardom by producing his “best season ever” for the club.

The South African-born flyer was a raw prospect when former head coach Richard Cockerill took a punt on him in the summer of 2017 despite Van der Merwe failing a medical with a hip problem and having had just four outings for Montpellier.

But the 6ft 4in, 106kg (16st 10lb) specimen swiftly made a name for himself, scoring 31 tries across 60 games in his first three seasons in the Scottish capital.

That scoring prowess, allied to his ability to bulldoze his way through and past opponents, saw him called up by Scotland in the Covid-ravaged 2020-21 campaign, having qualified via the residency rule.

While he only managed one try in seven games for Edinburgh that season, he immediately took to the international stage, scoring eight tries in his first ten Tests and earning selection for the British and Irish Lions tour of his native South Africa. With five tries in the warm-up games, he started all three Tests in the Republic.

But since an ill-fated move to Worcester for the 2021-22 season ended barely a year later when the Warriors went into financial meltdown, Van der Merwe has been noticeably more productive for his adopted country than his club.

His form for Scotland over the past two seasons – 16 tries in his last 21 Tests, including a stunning Calcutta Cup hat-trick against England earlier this year – has swiftly seen him become the country’s all-time leading try scorer. A try in their final summer Test against Uruguay moved him past Stuart Hogg on to 28 tries overall in 41 Tests.

But since returning to Edinburgh two years ago, Van der Merwe had managed just nine tries in 25 games – hardly a drought, but hardly a glut either - until his double in their opening United Rugby Championship match against Leinster last Friday.

“As I always say, it is my job to finish those opportunities off and I did that,” he said. “But personally, I wouldn't say I am too happy with my game. I can be a lot better. That is on me, to find ways of getting on the ball more. I feel like if I can do that, I can get some gain line and line breaks, so there is more to come. It is very exciting.”

With another Lions tour – to Australia – looming at the end of this season, it would be a surprise if Van der Merwe was not in selection contention again given his prolific scoring rate for Scotland.

But the 29-year-old is taking nothing for granted. With Edinburgh team-mate Darcy Graham – four tries behind on Scotland’s all-time list with 24 in 39 Tests – back from injury and Glasgow captain Kyle Steyn (13 in 23 Tests) in coruscating form of late for Warriors, Van der Merwe’s starting spot my not be quite as secure as previously.

“I’m not looking too far ahead, personally,” he said. “I've been at Edinburgh for quite a long time and personally, I want to have my best season ever. I feel the last year or two, I’ve probably not been at my best at times for Edinburgh. So my main focus is taking it game by game, just working on my performances for Edinburgh and trying to get better.

“I know it is a big year, but I have to play well for Edinburgh to actually be selected for Scotland and then hopefully play well for Scotland to be selected for the Lions. But Darcy (Graham) is back, Kyle Steyn is playing unbelievably well and there are a lot of other wingers I could mention, so there is some stiff competition there. My main focus is to play well for Edinburgh.”

Despite reservations about his recent form, van der Merwe believes he is in prime physical condition to kick on and enjoy a productive campaign.

“My body feels unbelievable, to be honest,” he said. “I feel like I’m getting quicker, which is weird - I’m turning 30 (next June), so it shouldn’t be that way.

“I’m really working hard at my game in the gym and rehab, on my speed and all those kind of bits. I’m not a young pup anymore - I can’t just rock up and train like the other boys – but I’m working really hard and hopefully I can have a good season.”

This week he is back in South Africa, where he started his career in the Blue Bulls academy, and poised to face elder brother Akker van der Merwe as Edinburgh prepare to tackle the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday, the first of two consecutive URC games at altitude with the Lions in Johannesburg to follow a week later.

Duhan came out on top in their only previous meeting, when Edinburgh won 16-15 at Sale in the European Challenge Cup in December 2020, but Akker enjoyed bragging rights last season after joining the Bulls.

His twelve tries in the URC were second only to Glasgow’s fellow hooker Johnny Matthews in the league’s top try-scoring stakes, Duhan lagging behind with a paltry three, among seven in 17 games he managed for Edinburgh last season.

“I saw that,” Van der Merwe smiled. “It’s all maul tries though - they don’t really count. They shouldn’t be counted - it’s an easy job.

“No, fair play to him. He’s not given me any stick for that. But I’m 2-0 up (after his brace v Leinster), so I’ll give him a real challenge this season and we’ll see who takes it.”

So can we expect some sibling rivalry to erupt at Loftus on Saturday?

“I don’t really run into his channel and he doesn't run into mine,” Van der Merwe added. “If I see him on the pitch, I might make a joke here or there, when he is tired. But other than that, if we come up against each other, we will see who wins that battle.

“It is a massive challenge, playing the Bulls at Loftus. I was blowing a bit in the altitude today, so I've got the fear a bit for Saturday. But we’ve still got a couple of training sessions to prepare. It is a massive opportunity, it’s a big stadium, it will be special.”