Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
The team comes first, says Van der Merwe
RECORD-CHASING Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe is adamant he will not allow thoughts of personal rugby glory to muddy his thinking when he runs out at Italy’s Stadio Olimpico.
The 28-year-old moved within one of Stuart Hogg at the top of the Scots’ all-time try-scoring list after producing a magnificent, match-defining hat-trick in Saturday’s 30-21 Calcutta Cup victory over England at Murrayfield.
Van Der Merwe went into this year’s Guinness Six Nations as Scotland’s sixth most prolific player, with 21 tries.
However, his five championship touchdowns over the past month – two away to Wales plus his treble on Saturday – have taken him ahead of Chris Paterson, Tony Stanger, Ian Smith and his Edinburgh team-mate Darcy Graham into second place.
One more score in dark blue will allow Van der Merwe to equal Hogg, who holds the record with 27 tries from his 100 caps.
The South Africa-born wing, who has got to 26 in just 37 appearances for the national team, is well aware of the big opportunity beckoning him, but he insisted he will not allow it to cloud his focus or his decisionmaking as the Scots prepare to conclude their campaign away to Italy and Ireland next month.
“It’s something I targeted coming into the Six Nations, to see if I could do it (catch Hogg) in the Six Nations,” said Van der Merwe. “I knew it was a big task and there’s obviously still two games left... But the most important thing is the team, it’s not about myself.
“If that means I have to chase box-kicks and not score tries or give the pass to someone else, then so be it. It’s all about the team and us getting the wins.
“We want to start winning stuff as a team and the next two games are massive for us.”
Asked if he had allowed himself to ponder the possibility of making history in Rome a week on Saturday, Van der Merwe said: “It’s probably in the back of my mind, but I wouldn’t say I’m going into the game just thinking about myself and thinking about how I can score as an individual. For me, the team is always first.”