'He's been our star performer at training': Duhan van der Merwe back for Edinburgh in poignant Lions clash

Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe will aim to put 18 months of injury hassles behind him on Friday when he plays his first game of the season for Edinburgh in their URC match against the Lions at Hive Stadium.

The 31-year-old has endured a challenging time with fitness and form since suffering an ankle injury in March 2025.

Van der Merwe had surgery on his ankle in order to be available for last year’s British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, but was never in serious contention for the Test matches despite five tries in five other games he played.

On his return he continued to be affected by the issue and was restricted to just 11 games for Edinburgh last season, when he also lost his first-choice status for Scotland in their biggest games of the autumn, Six Nations and the first block of Nations Championship matches in July.

Van der Merwe did start Scotland’s last match against Fiji on 18 July at Murrayfield, but has subsequently been rehabbing his ankle again to return to full fitness.

United Rugby Championship

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Edinburgh

3

3

0

0

14

2

Glasgow

3

2

0

1

13

3

Bulls

3

2

1

0

11

4

Stormers

3

2

1

0

11

5

Sharks

3

2

1

0

10

6

Cardiff Rugby

3

2

1

0

9

7

Lions

3

2

1

0

9

8

Dragons RFC

3

1

1

1

9

9

Munster

3

1

1

1

9

10

Leinster

3

1

2

0

8

11

Ulster

3

0

1

2

8

12

Scarlets

3

1

2

0

7

13

Ospreys

3

1

2

0

6

14

Connacht

3

1

2

0

5

15

Benetton

3

0

2

1

5

16

Zebre

3

0

3

0

1

“When you have ankle surgery, you’ve got to give the ankle enough time to recover from that,” noted Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt. “Obviously, he was rushed back to be included in the British and Irish Lions trip. Maybe he didn’t have the right preparation for that, so it’s been an ongoing niggle for him.

“We’ve given him that rest period that he needs and he’s feeling good and looking very good as well. I certainly hope he puts in a good performance tomorrow night, which I’m sure he will, especially after watching him train, and can continue from there without any more hassles.

“He’s been training exceptionally well and seems to be full of confidence. He’s been our star performer at training over the last couple of weeks. It’s great that he’s fully fit now and ready to go. He’s put a bit of energy around the squad as well and a bit of vibe in training. It’s really good to have him back and see him in good spirits.”

With only Friday’s game to demonstrate his fitness and form before Scotland head coach Gregor Townsends reveals his squad on Monday for the November Tests against New Zealand, Australia and Japan, Everitt suggested an early return to international duty may be premature.

“It’s probably too soon to talk now,” he said. “He needs some game minutes under his belt to show that he’s back to his best form.

“The more minutes he accumulates, the more opportunities he’s going to get to be selected. I’m sure the Scotland management will be having a close look at him this weekend. At the same time, we all know the quality of player that he is, so that can’t be overlooked either. I can’t really answer as far as selection is concerned.”

While Van der Merwe’s return is a boost, his long-time Scotland sidekick Darcy Graham misses the game after picking up a calf strain on his own return to action last Friday in Edinburgh’s Challenge Cup opener against Toulon.

“It’s not serious at all,” reported Everitt, who said it should not affect Graham’s chances of being named in the Scotland squad. “He’s still experiencing some stiffness in that calf so it’s pointless to risk him this week, especially with perhaps a Scotland call-up in November and perhaps a game against Benetton next week.”

Geordie Gwynn will start in Graham’s usual right wing berth with Van der Merwe taking over from Mal Satala on the other flank.

A further enforced change sees Tom Currie switch to openside flanker, with another Scotland candidate Freddy Douglas having sustained a concussion in training this week.

“Freddy should be available next week if all goes according to plan,” said Everitt, who has also restored Liam McConnell – rested last week – at blindside, while veteran lock Grant Gilchrist is another hoping to impress Townsend after being recalled for his first start of the season, after returning as a replacement against Toulon.

Another Scotland lock, Marshall Sykes, will play his 100^th game for the club from the bench, having recovered from a bicep injury sustained in the recent win against Zebre.

“He’s a popular guy amongst our group – not only because of his food channel on Instagram,” Everitt said. “He brings a physical edge, he’s really good in the set-piece, carries the ball well and he’s a stopper defensively.

“You have to play really well to get 100 caps at Edinburgh. I think he’s the 47th centurion, so there’s not many guys before him that have got that honour.”

The match will be a poignant occasion after the visitors from Johannesburg suffered the traumatic death of second-row Hyron Andrews the day before last Saturday’s Champions Cup match at La Rochelle.

An autopsy found the 31-year-old died from natural causes after suffering a tear in the aorta artery which carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

The Lions drew widespread admiration for opting to play the match in France to honour their beloved team-mate.

Andrews was coming through the ranks at the Sharks when Everitt was coaching the South African franchise’s youth teams, before overseeing the lock’s progress into the senior side during his five years as head coach of the Durban outfit.

“He was a really good line-out specialist, always light but incredibly athletic, so much so that we used him in the outside channels, and he caught many a cross-kick for us with his height and agility in the air.” Everitt recalled.

“He was just a good all-round rugby player but, most importantly, a really popular and good person.”

Everitt paid tribute to how the Lions players and staff handled the tragedy last week, while Edinburgh will ask fans to pay their own respects with a minute’s applause in the fifth minute of Friday’s match, in recognition of the shirt number Andrews wore.

“As Ivan van Rooyen alluded to during the week, there’s no manual for how you deal with tragedies like this within a team,” Everitt added. “I suppose you have two choices. One, you can step back and spend time mourning and getting over it.

“The other way is to celebrate the life of Hyron and look at life through his eyes and what he would have liked. I think the Lions have chosen to go that route, which is brilliant. They’ve shown tremendous courage and bravery to have got through that game on Saturday and, on top of that, put in a really good performance.”

Despite his own links with the player and the emotions swirling around the Lions squad, Everitt believes both sides will be focused on the game once it kicks off.

“Hyron’s such a likeable person, a guy that brings calmness to the group and that’s why he has the nickname of ‘Iceman’,” he added. “He was always chilled in his approach. It’s really difficult to understand what they went through this week.

“Hyron’s a young man with a young family, so it was upsetting to hear the news. It’s how you deal with it and handle those emotions. I just cannot imagine what it would have been like to be in that hotel on Friday and Saturday.

“Sometimes rugby can distract you from that type of adversity, which is good. People use sport to get away from pressures as well. I’m sure deep down every individual will have Hyron in their thoughts going into the game. It’s just the way it is.

“I read an article during the week that rugby brings people together and that’s 100 per cent true. You’ve often seen teams go for each other on the field, fighting one minute and having a beer in the changing room.

“That’s what the game’s about. I’m sure there will be a beer shared in the changing rooms after Friday night.”