'One of the best in the world': Lion makes long-awaited Edinburgh return

Duhan van der Merwe will launch a late-season bid to earn a Scotland recall this summer when he plays his first game for Edinburgh in more than three months on Saturday in their penultimate game of the URC season against Dragons in Newport.

The giant wing has endured a frustrating, stop-start campaign in which he has struggled to shake off the effects of a niggling ankle issue which he sustained against the same Welsh outfit in March 2025.

Van der Merwe had surgery on his ankle to recover fitness in time for last year’s British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, but was never in serious contention for the Tests against the Wallabies despite five tries in five other games he played.

After an indifferent start to the current campaign, he lost his Scotland starting place for their biggest Tests last November to Glasgow’s Kyle Steyn and has only managed three tries in nine matches for Edinburgh, the last against Leinster in late January.

Saturday will be Van der Merwe’s first game in 11 weeks since limping out of Scotland’s win over Wales in Cardiff – his one outing during the Six Nations – on 21 February.

Fixture

United Rugby Championship

Dragons RFC

11:45

9 May 26

Edinburgh

All Stats and Data

“I’m glad he’s back on the field, it’s been a long time,” noted Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt. “He’s struggled with his ankle but he’s feeling really good.

“Obviously, he had that ankle surgery last year prior to the British and Irish Lions tour and he came back and didn’t quite reach the potential that everyone thought that he might do. The ankle was problematic but not so much that he couldn’t play and then he re-injured it again in the Six Nations.

“We were able to give him time off so that he could do rehab and obviously we gave him enough time so that he can hit the ground running on Saturday.

“He had a great week of training this week and I’m hoping that he’ll bring energy to the group that has had a long season. His X-factor on the wing and his finishing expertise will be brilliant for us if we can get the ball in his hands.”

Van der Merwe, who turns 31 next month, remains second on Scotland’s all-time try-scoring list with 35 from 53 Tests, but saw club-mate Darcy Graham move clear of him onto 38 during the Six Nations.

If Van der Merwe is to get a chance to add to his tally in Scotland’s Nations Championship matches in July against Argentina in Cordoba, South Africa in Pretoria and Fiji at Murrayfield, the wing has just the Dragons fixture and Edinburgh’s final URC game against Connacht next Friday, 15 May, to prove his fitness and form.

“We know that he’s world-class when he’s at his best,” Everitt said. “He hasn’t been happy with his performances and obviously playing at the back of the mind is an ankle niggle that you carry with you. We all know that rugby players are better when they’re 100% confident with their bodies. But he’ll definitely bounce back as a quality player.

“Obviously, these next two games are going to be vital to see where he’s at. He’s got a lot of competition in the Scottish team, as we know.

“There were players that were picked ahead of him in the Six Nations, but Duhi at his best is one of the best in the world so hopefully he can hit the ground running on Saturday and build up momentum into the next game against Connacht, which would put him in a position to be able to be selected for the summer tour.”

Edinburgh are also boosted by the return of another Scotland international in full-back Harry Paterson, whose senior career has been dogged by a spate of untimely injuries.

The 24-year-old has managed 10 games this season – his highest tally to date – but has been sidelined since March with a quad issue.

“We’re really happy where he’s at and often when we’ve put him into the team after not playing for a period of time, he’s hit the ground running,” Everitt added. “He’s important to us. Not only is he a good counter-attacker but he’s also got a good boot as well.”

Everitt has also restored Ross Thompson at fly-half in place of Cammy Scott while Callum Hunter-Hill starts at lock with Marshall Sykes moving to the bench.

He is joined among the replacements by fit-again No.8 Magnus Bradbury – who along with prop Pierre Schoeman is poised for his 150th game for the club – and Liam McConnell, back from a head knock.

But Everitt has stuck with versatile lock Glen Young at blindside after a strong outing in a 33-28 win over the Sharks a fortnight ago, only their sixth victory in the URC this term.

Young is out of contract at the end of the season but Everitt indicated the 31-year-old Scotland cap has done enough to earn a new deal, after Young said in January he was trying not to let the uncertainty affect him.

“Glen’s been a really good soldier for this team,” Everitt added. “When I got here it was during the [2023] World Cup and players were out. I played Glen, with the frame he has and the athleticism he displays, at six and he played his best rugby there.

“Then he played well when he moved back to the second row and got selected for the [2024] Six Nations [squad]. Unfortunately he got injured there, which took him a while to get over. He’s really important to us as a player. He’s also a leader in the line-out and calls the line-out really well. We’re happy where he’s at.”

Edinburgh XV: 15. Harry Paterson; 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Mosese Tuipulotu, 12. Findlay Thomson, 11. Duhan van der Merwe; 10. Ross Thompson, 9. Hector Patterson; 1. Pierre Schoeman, 2. Ewan Ashman, 3. Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 4. Callum Hunter-Hill, 5. Grant Gilchrist (capt), 6. Glen Young, 7. Freddy Douglas, 8. Tom Currie.
Replacements: 16. Dylan Richardson, 17. Boan Venter, 18. Paul Hill, 19. Marshall Sykes, 20. Liam McConnell, 21. Magnus Bradbury, 22. Charlie Shiel, 23. Piers O’Conor.