'Not the go-to guy anymore': Duhan van der Merwe opens up on injury and Townsend meeting

In van der Merwe’s own words, he is no longer “the go-to guy” for the national team. He was dropped for the big autumn Test with New Zealand and then found himself left out again when the Six Nations kicked off.

He accepts he has a lot of hard work to do to get back to where he was but, for the first time in a year, his body feels ready to stand up to the challenge.

This week 12 months ago, he was named in the British and Irish Lions squad for Australia but he was already struggling with his ankle. Unlike in South Africa four years previously, he didn’t make the Test team. The injury continued to dog him on his return from the tour and he has been in and out for both Edinburgh and Scotland across a frustrating campaign.

“Initially, I thought it would be a couple of weeks before going on the Lions tour,” he said. “I knew that the ankle's probably not going to be where it needs to be, but then normally with these things, it kind of disappears over weeks, months, and mine got worse and worse and worse and worse.

’Can't be the Duhan I want to be’

“I got to a point where I had to make a decision on where I'm at because it's not fair towards Scotland, it's not fair towards the club, it's not fair towards my team-mates, and especially it's not fair towards me, having to go out there, trying to give my best, but knowing that I'm restricted, I can't be the Duhan I want to be. It's not been easy. I'm just trying to get back to what I love doing.”

There was also a mid-season hip injury to contend with but the 30-year-old won his Scotland place back for the third Six Nations match, against Wales in Cardiff, only for the ankle problem to flare up again. He took time out for rehab and was finally able to return last Saturday in Edinburgh’s URC win over the Dragons and marked his comeback with a couple of tries.

As one of the most devastating attackers in world rugby, van der Merwe has high standards and he wasn’t overly pleased with his performance in Newport but - most importantly - the ankle felt good and he is likely to play again this Friday when Edinburgh host Connacht in their final match of the season. Whether he then joins up with Scotland for the Nations Championship matches against Argentina, South Africa and Fiji remains to be seen.

“I'll be meeting up with Gregor tomorrow and we'll kind of see where things are at,” he said. “I've not spoken to him since the Six Nations, so it'll be nice to catch up, you know.

“I'm probably not in a place where I can make a decision on if I want the summer off or not. I need to probably make sure that I'm in a spot where I can get back into the team. I'm not first choice anymore, so I'm not the go-to guy anymore, so I've got a lot of hard work to do over the next couple of weeks, months or whatever that might be.”

Kyle Steyn, the Glasgow Warriors captain, took van der Merwe’s place in the national team in the autumn and Jamie Dobie also moved ahead of him in the pecking order during the Six Nations. For a player who began the championship as Scotland’s record try-scorer, it was hard to take, so playing on Saturday for Edinburgh felt like a step in the right direction.

“Yeah, I guess I've just enjoyed being back in with the team, you know, actually enjoying what I do, the body allowing me to enjoy what I do,” said van der Merwe who has scored 35 Scotland tries in 53 Tests.

‘My wife has been supporting me so much’

During the darker days he was grateful for the support network around him, from Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt to his family and, above all, his wife, Nika.

“Obviously after the disappointment of getting dropped against New Zealand in the autumn, coming into Six Nations and dropping down the pecking order quite a fair bit, it was tough to take,” he said.

“I had very good conversations with the [Scotland] coaches and Sean and we decided that the ankle's not where it needs to be. I had to go to do a bit of rehab and, I guess, see my family [in South Africa]. It's important for me, especially through such a difficult time, to catch up with family. I've been away for a very long time, and at times things get tough.

“Luckily, I've got my wife here. That's been absolutely brilliant. She's been supporting me so much over this last year, and I can't thank her enough. But when you get disappointment after disappointment, then things build up. I guess me having that week off with family and getting back into rehab kind of freshened up my mind. It was really important.

“That's why I can thank Sean, I felt him helping me out. I just want to repay him back by good performances. If I can score a hat-trick on the weekend, then I guess he'll be a happy man.”

“I'm trying to get back where I need to be,” van der Merwe added. “The club needs me to get back to the old Duhan. My team-mates need me.

“My main focus is just to get back to enjoying what I do, because when I enjoy it, I'm at my best. When I'm injured and I don't get picked, I can't enjoy what I do because I'm outside, I'm hurt, I'm sore. You can't enjoy running around, can you? So, yeah, the biggest thing for me is focussing on my body and the rest will happen.”