Duhan van der Merwe injury update leaves Andy Farrell with a dilemma

Edinburgh and Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe is unlikely to play again before Andy Farrell names his British and Irish Lions squad on 8 May for this summer’s tour to Australia.

The 29-year-old, Scotland’s record try-scorer with 32 in 49 Tests, suffered an ankle injury early in Edinburgh’s URC win over Dragons last Friday.

While the club have not disclosed the exact nature of the problem, an update issued on Tuesday evening said Van der Merwe “is expected to return during May” after receiving the results of an MRI scan the player had on Monday.

That means he will almost certainly miss all of Edinburgh’s games – between three and five, depending on whether they progress to the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals – between now and Farrell’s squad announcement.

Van der Merwe started all three Tests on the last Lions tour of South Africa in 2021 but was already facing stiff competition from the likes of Ireland’s James Lowe and Mack Hansen and England’s Tommy Freeman and club and country team-mate Darcy Graham for a place in the squad heading Down Under.

Edinburgh complete their URC campaign against Connacht on 10 May and Ulster on 16 May and hope to be involved in the play-offs, which begin on 31 May, a week after the Challenge Cup final if they get that far.

On Monday head coach Sean Everitt said Van der Merwe’s ankle was “a bit swollen” and he would definitely miss Friday’s Challenge Cup last-16 fixture against Lions at The Hive.

“Obviously we’re hoping for the best, that it’s not too serious,” Everitt added. “We’re at an important part of our season now, so we’re just hoping that it isn’t serious and that he can return to training as soon as possible.”

In a double blow for the capital club, Scotland lock Marshall Sykes has also been ruled out for the final five games of the URC regular season with a foot injury.

Sykes, who made his Six Nations debut off the bench in Scotland’s final match against France in Paris, has sustained a plantar fascia issue.

Everitt said on Monday he hoped the second-row could return in “four to six weeks” and the club have now said Sykes is expected to be fit “before the end of May”.