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Michael Hooper weighs in on Jac Morgan clear-out
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Duhan van der Merwe explains why he has agreed new Edinburgh deal
By Bryn Palmer
Scotland’s top try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe has handed Edinburgh and his adopted country a major fillip by resisting the overtures of leading French clubs and signing a new deal to stay in the Scottish capital until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, as reported by RugbyPass.
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The prolific 29-year-old winger was a major target for La Rochelle and several other cash-rich Top 14 outfits with his current contract due to expire at the end of the season.
But van der Merwe, who returned to the top of Scotland’s all-time list with his 30th Test try in their final autumn fixture against Australia, believes he still has “so much to give” after agreeing a two-and-a-half-year deal with Edinburgh until November 2027.
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“It’s been my home for seven, eight years,” he said. “The club really looks after me. My wife is happy. I believe in this group, I believe in Sean (Everitt) as a coach. I believe I have got more to give. But the main thing is as long as I’m happy and my wife is happy, then I believe I will be at my best. I’m truly happy to call Scotland home for another two and a half years.”
The 6ft 4in, 106kg South African-born flyer was a raw prospect who initially failed his medical with a hip problem when former head coach Richard Cockerill brought him to Edinburgh in the summer of 2017 after just four outings for Montpellier.
How DU you like that? ?@duhanvdmerwe is staying in the capital!
The winger commits his future to the club with a new deal that will see him remain in Edinburgh until at least Rugby World Cup 2027 ??? pic.twitter.com/0Ufj7EeQSK
— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) December 11, 2024
But he swiftly earned a destructive reputation with 31 tries in 60 games in his first three seasons for the club, leading to his Scotland debut in the autumn of 2020 after qualifying on residency.
He scored eight tries in his first 10 Tests and earned a place on the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa, starting all three Tests against the Springboks before joining Worcester Warriors for the 2021/22 season.
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After the Warriors’ financial demise, van der Merwe returned to Edinburgh in October 2022 and signed a contract extension late last year until June 2025. He has now scored 45 tries in 98 games overall for the club, but admitted it was not a straightforward decision to turn down lucrative offers from elsewhere.
“Yeah, look, I’m not going to stand here and say it was an easy decision,” he said. “There was a lot on my mind. I had to think really hard and long about it. Sitting down with my wife (Nika), I decided to stay at Edinburgh, a club that has given me so much. I have still got so much to give too. I’m really happy to be staying.
“I came here as a young boy and I have grown into a man in Scotland. Me and Pierre Schoeman started our own business a couple of months ago. So for me, it’s giving back to the fans and the country that has given me so much.
“I have still got a lot to give for the club and the country. There is some motivation behind that, knowing that I have still got two and a half years left. I’m really going to try and push my body for the next World Cup if selected and still good enough by then. We’ll see.”
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Asked how much room for growth he believes he still has a player as he enters his final ‘peak’ years, van der Merwe said: “A lot. If I compare myself to say, other back three players, I would say a lot of them are a lot more skilful than me. So I do believe I have still got a lot to give. I will just keep on working hard on my game and hopefully get better in every department.”
Van der Merwe, who has scored 18 tries in his last 24 Tests for Scotland, admitted that the prospect of winning something at Edinburgh was an additional motivating factor. He was part of sides that reached a Pro14 semi-final and European Champions Cup quarter-final under former coach Cockerill, but there is a feeling that the current squad, packed with Scotland internationals, have yet to fulfil their potential.
“I joined the club in 2017, it has been a long time,” van der Merwe reflected. “I haven’t really won anything, which is obviously a s*** one to take, to be honest, because I believe this squad can start winning stuff. I know it has been a thing; everyone has been saying that over the last year or so.
“I guess people from the outside stopped believing in us, so it’s up to this group and this group alone to change that and start winning stuff. It’s a really important month for the club.
“We need to start winning games if we want to get into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup and if we want to push up the league in the URC, we will have to start winning games there as well. So we have got three big games coming up.”
Edinburgh host Bayonne in the second-tier European competition on Friday, followed by back-to-back festive derbies against Scottish rivals Glasgow in the URC where they sit in seventh place, three points off the top four.
Edinburgh head coach Everitt said it was “massive for the club” that van der Merwe had opted to extend his time in the Scottish capital. “It’s very important to Scottish rugby,” he added. “He is a guy that probably needs to be managed going into the latter part of his career, and one way to do it is to keep him in Scotland and obviously monitor his load.
“For us he is extremely important. Him and Darcy (Graham) have been instrumental in our wins at home this year. And obviously being the top try-scorer in Scotland, we look at him to do the same for us.
“We are very excited for him. It wasn’t easy trying to keep him. He has done really well for Scotland so he was a sought-after player, but we are very happy that he has chosen Edinburgh to be his home for the next two or three years at least.”
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