VAN DERMORE
Scotland ace Duhan tops all-time try tally after win in Uruguay
DUHAN van der MERWE reckons he’s still got plenty left in the tank after becoming Scotland’s all-time leading try scorer.
The giant winger moved one clear of Stuart Hogg at the top of the table after claiming his 28th score in the 31-19 victory over Uruguay on Saturday night.
The South African-born flier only made his international debut in 2020 and has scored his tries in just 41 appearances.
And at just 29, the Edinburgh ace could easily play on for another five years or longer.
Van der Merwe insists breaking the record wasn’t his intention when he started out playing for Scotland. But he admits he was desperate to grab it on this tour of the Americas.
He said: “I’m absolutely buzzing. Going one ahead of Hoggy is pretty special and hopefully there’s a lot more to come.
“I’ve never really chased the record. But when it got to the point I was on 23 or 24 you go into a game hoping to score. Coming by gRaeMe MacPheRsoN on this tour I was hoping to break the record. At least I’ve managed to do that now.
“The monkey is off my back now so I can just go out and enjoy myself and play.”
Van der Merwe praised Kyle Rowe for selflessly teeing up the record-breaking score midway through the first half in Montevideo.
He added: “Kyle made it easy
for me. He had a walk-in try for himself but gave it to me. It just shows what a good relationship we have in this group.”
Boss Gregor Townsend praised van der Merwe for his efforts. But he reckoned his star man also deserves credit for the work he does behind the scenes.
Townsend said: “What an achievement to break this record!
“When I was playing, Tony Stanger jointly held it with Ian
Smith from the 1920s. So that shows how hard it’s been to break.
“Then Hoggy broke it, now Duhan is breaking it, and we have guys in our squad like Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones and Darcy Graham hot on his heels.
“So it’s really exciting we have guys with great try-scoring records who can maybe challenge Duhan. But I am sure Duhan is going to extend that record over the next few seasons.
“He’s someone we probably see differently than people on the outside. He’s part of our defence leadership group, trains consistently well and often tops the charts in terms of high-speed metres.
“You don’t get this sort of tryscoring record if you’re not someone who works hard for the team or if you’re just hanging on the wing waiting for the game to come to you.
“He works really hard to get in those positions. We just love him for the player he is but also the person he is.”
What an achievement! I’m sure he’s going to extend it
GREGOR TOWNSEND ON VAN DER MERWE RECORD