The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Edinburgh to lose Van der Merwe to Worcester
Star wing Duhan van der Merwe will leave Edinburgh for the Gallagher Premiership’s Worcester Warriors next season as the capital club start to make some hard choices on outof-contract players.
The 25-year-old South African-born player, who qualified for Scotland through residency this summer and made his debut against Georgia in Oc tober, has signed a three-year deal with the Sixways club.
Va n der Me r we was signed by Edinburgh from Montpellier in 2017 and since has developed into one of the most prolific strike weapons in the Guinness PRO14.
Last season, he led the league in clean breaks, metres made and defenders beaten.
He scored 31 tries in 64 appearances for the capital club, and has three in just five appearances for Scotland so far.
“I’ve loved my time in Edinburgh and it was a really tough decision to leave a club that has helped me develop so much as a player,” he said.
“I would like to thank the fans and staff for their great support over the past three years and look f o r wa r d to giving my all for the rest of this campaign.”
The departure of Van der Merwe is a sign of the post Covid-19 financial realities for Edinburgh and for pro rugby in Scotland as a whole.
While a d m i tt i n g his disappointment at the player ’s departure yesterday, Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill suggested the wing had been sacrificed to keep
money back for others out of contract.
“We’ll be disappointed to see Duhan go – he’s a quality player – however his performances have attracted a lot of attention this season,” said the coach, who has said in recent weeks that he will aggressively seek to retain the club’s top players.
“We’ve had to cut our cloth accordingly to stay competitive across the squad, with good news on that front coming soon.”
Star back rowers Hamish Watson and Jamie Ritchie are two more players that
are out of contract at the end of the season.
Watson is reportedly being targeted by Racing 92, where Scotland standoff Finn Russell plays.
“We’ll wish Duhan all the best at his new club when the time comes but he’s an Edinburgh player for a few more months yet,” added Cockerill.
“He’ll be here to help us push up the table in the Guinness PRO14 and continue to compete on the Heineken Champions Cup.”
Van der Merwe is slightly different than the “project player” template of players who qualify for Scotland
through residency – such as team-mates WP Nel and Pierre Schoeman.
He was something of a “punt” by the Edinburgh management when first signed on a season-long deal in 2017.
He has signed tw o extensions to that original contract since.
It was only when his development rocketed that he became regarded as a possible residencyqualified player.
Such was his prolific form for Edinburgh that he went straight into the Scotland set-up when he qualified this summer.