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The South African winger on the cusp of a call-up to the Scotland squad

By PA
(Photo by Getty Images)

Duhan van der Merwe admits the prospect of international recognition and winning silverware for Edinburgh are providing him with ample motivation.

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The South African winger has qualified for Scotland under the residency rule and is expected to be called up by Gregor Townsend for the autumn internationals.

That opportunity has given the 25-year-old extra drive since Edinburgh returned to action and the powerful wide player also aims to grasp the chance to help his club into the Guinness PRO14 final.

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Edinburgh host Ulster in their first semi-final appearance on Saturday night after topping Conference B and van der Merwe is excited about taking the club even further.

Van der Merwe, who has scored 31 tries in 58 appearances for the club, said: “Look, obviously since I have been Scottish-qualified things have changed for me personally.

“Because now I know I need to perform every single game not just to be in the Edinburgh starting XV but to maybe start for Scotland or get a chance to play for Scotland.

“That’s definitely in the back of my mind because I know I am competing against Darcy (Graham), Glasgow wingers, guys who have been playing.

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“I know there is a lot of competition so I just want to be at my best and perform and get a shot at that. I do want to play for Scotland and I do want to give it a crack.

“For now, I am just really focused on performing for Edinburgh in the semi-finals and hopefully get some silverware for the club, that would be amazing.

“There is definitely a big buzz, the club has not been in this situation.

“There was one point I thought they were going to scrap the whole season. We were in such a good spot and I was in lockdown thinking, ‘surely they are going to give us a shot’.

“It’s exciting we have that opportunity, it’s exciting for the club and for the boys.”

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Van der Merwe played his part in sealing the last-four spot with a brilliant assist in Edinburgh’s 30-15 comeback win over Glasgow, but there was little inspiration from anyone in his team during Friday’s 15-3 defeat by Warriors.

He said: “Can we just forget about that? Honestly, the worst game I ever played in my life. Stop-start, stop-start…I felt like I only ran 500 metres the whole game.

“It was just one of those games, we had so many errors. I don’t want to swear but it was a really s*** game.

“Boys got opportunities and this game isn’t going to determine what happens next week. We will start afresh on Monday, preview Ulster and then get stuck in. What’s the point in reviewing this game? We made 10 changes.”

The former Blue Bulls and Montpellier player was glad he played though.

“I probably felt I needed a run,” he said. “I was blowing a bit in my first game and I just want to get minutes under my belt.

“You are always a bit rusty in your first few games back and I just want to get out of that and get back to my form.”

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Bull Shark 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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