Scotland winger Duhan van der Merwe aims to put 18 months of injury problems behind him on Friday when he plays his first game of the season for Edinburgh in their URC match against Lions at the Hive Stadium.
The 31-year-old has endured a challenging time with fitness and form since suffering an ankle injury in March 2025.
Van der Merwe had ankle surgery to be available for last year’s British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, but was never in serious contention for Test matches despite five tries in five other games he played.
On his return he continued to be affected by the problem and was restricted to just 11 games for Edinburgh last season, when he also lost his first-choice status for Scotland in their biggest games of the autumn, the Six Nations and the first block Nations Championship games in July.
Van der Merwe started Scotland’s last game against Fiji on July 18 at Murrayfield, but has since rehabbed his ankle to return to full fitness.
United Rugby Championship
P
W
L
D
PF
Well
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
In total
1
3
3
0
0
14
2
3
2
0
1
13
3
3
2
1
0
11
4
3
2
1
0
11
5
3
2
1
0
10
6
3
2
1
0
9
7
3
2
1
0
9
8
3
1
1
1
9
9
3
1
1
1
9
10
3
1
2
0
8
11
3
0
1
2
8
12
3
1
2
0
7
13
3
1
2
0
6
14
3
1
2
0
5
15
3
0
2
1
5
16
3
0
3
0
1
“When you have ankle surgery, you have to give the ankle enough time to recover from it,” Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt said. “Obviously he was rushed to get involved in the British and Irish Lions trip. Maybe he didn’t have the proper preparation for it, so it was a constant pain for him.”
“We’ve given him that rest period he needs and he’s feeling good and looking really good. I certainly hope he puts in a good performance tomorrow night, which I’m sure he will, especially after watching him train, and he can carry on without any problems.”
“He’s been training extremely well and seems full of confidence. He’s been our star in training for the last few weeks. It’s great that he’s now fully fit and ready to go. He’s also put some energy into the team and some vibes in training. It’s really good to be back and see him in good spirits.”
With just Friday’s game to show his fitness and form before Scotland head coach Gregor Townsends reveals his squad on Monday for November’s Tests against New Zealand, Australia and Japan, Everitt suggested an early return to international duties may be premature.
“It’s probably too early to talk now,” he said. “He needs a few minutes of games under his belt to show that he is back to his best form.
“The more minutes he gets, the more opportunities he will have to be selected. I’m sure the Scotland board will have a close look at him this weekend. At the same time, we all know the quality of the player, so that can’t be overlooked either. I can’t really answer in terms of selection.”
While Van der Merwe’s return is a boost, his long-term Scotland assistant Darcy Graham misses the game after straining his calf following his return to action last Friday in Edinburgh Challenge Cup opener against Toulon.
“It’s not serious at all,” reported Everitt, who said it should not affect Graham’s chances of being named in the Scotland squad. “He’s still got stiffness in that calf so it’s pointless to take a chance on him this week, especially with maybe the Scotland call-up in November and maybe the game against Benetton next week.”
Geordie Gwynn will start on Graham’s usual right wing, with Van der Merwe taking over from Mal Satala on the other wing.
A further change imposed sees Tom Currie move to openside flanker, while another Scotland prospect Freddy Douglas suffered concussion in training this week.
“Freddy should be available next week if everything goes to plan,” said Everitt, who also brought back Liam McConnell – rested last week – at blindside, while veteran Grant Gilchrist is another hoping to impress Townsend after being recalled for his first start of the season, having returned as a substitute against Toulon.
Another Scotland lock, Marshall Sykes, will play his 100th gameth plays for the club from the bench, after recovering from a bicep injury sustained in the recent win against Zebre.
“He’s a popular guy in our group – not just because of himself food channel on Instagram“He brings a physical advantage, he’s really good at set pieces, he carries the ball well and he’s a stopper in defense.
“You have to play really well to get 100 caps in Edinburgh. I think he’s the 47th centurion, so there’s not many guys before him who have that honour.”
The game will be a poignant occasion after the visitors from Johannesburg suffered the traumatic death of second-row Hyron Andrews a day before Saturday’s Champions Cup tie in La Rochelle.
An autopsy found the 31-year-old died of natural causes after suffering a tear in the aorta artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
The Lions drew a lot of admiration as they decided to play the game France to pay tribute to their beloved teammate.
Andrews moved through the ranks Sharks when Everitt coached the South African franchise’s youth teams, before overseeing the team’s progression into the senior side during his five years as Durban’s head coach.
“He was a really good line specialist, always light but incredibly athletic, so much so that we used him in the outside channels and he caught a lot of crosses for us with his height and agility in the air.” Everitt recalled.
“He was just a good all-round rugby player but, most importantly, a really popular and good person.”
Everitt paid tribute to how the Lions players and staff dealt with the tragedy last week, while Edinburgh will ask fans to pay their respects with a minute’s applause in the fifth minute of Friday’s match in recognition of the jersey number Andrews wore.
“As Ivan van Rooyen alluded to during the week, there is no playbook on how to deal with tragedies like this within the team,” added Everitt. “I guess you have two choices. One, you can retire and spend time mourning and get over it.
“The other way is to celebrate Hyron’s life and look at life through his eyes and what he would have wanted. I think the Lions have chosen to go that route, which is brilliant. They showed tremendous courage and grit to come through that game on Saturday and, on top of that, put in a really good performance.”
Despite his connections to the player and the emotions swirling around the Lions squad, Everitt believes both sides will be focused on the game once it starts.
“Hyron is such a nice person, a guy who brings calm to the group and that’s why he’s nicknamed ‘Iceman,'” he added. “He’s always been cool in his approach. It’s really hard to understand what they’ve been through this week.”
“Hyron is a young man with a young family, so it was upsetting to hear the news. That’s how you deal with it and deal with those emotions. I just can’t imagine what it would be like to be in that hotel on Friday and Saturday.”
“Sometimes rugby can take your mind off that kind of adversity, which is good. People also use sport to escape pressure. I’m sure deep down every individual will have Hyron in their mind going into the game. That’s just the way it is.”
“I read an article during the week that rugby brings people together and it’s 100 per cent true. You’ve often seen teams going against each other on the pitch, fighting for a minute and drinking beer in the dressing room.”
“That’s what the game is about. I’m sure after Friday night there will be a beer together in the dressing rooms.”