Nobody likes to make a mistake... but it’s easier to bounce back with leaders like Finn on your side
Perfectionist Van der Merwe is relieved to have Russell
ARUGBY pitch can be a lonely place, even for the most confident and assured of players. Even for those hellbent on ‘perfection’. And in the heat of battle on the rugby fields of France over the next two months, many will no doubt be left feeling hurt and alone as their World Cup dreams slip through their fingers.
Duhan Van Der Merwe has already had a glimpse of such a fate. And, rest assured, it’s a feeling he will be doing his utmost to avoid when Scotland kick off their campaign against the country of his birth, South Africa, a week today.
The 28-year-old winger scored the try of the Six Nations against England earlier this year with a storming run through the home defence at Twickenham as Gregor Townsend’s men secured a famous victory. He grabbed two more scores against Georgia last weekend to take his tally for his adopted country to 20 from 31 matches — an impressive rate, indeed.
Yet, even the imposing and powerful Van Der Merwe admits to moments of self-doubt on the rugby pitch. And it was in France last month, when Scotland narrowly lost out in a pulsating warm-up match in Saint-Etienne, that he needed the support of Finn Russell to bring him back from the shadows.
A defensive error — a missed tackle — had led to a loss of focus...
‘I live for perfection and want to give my best for Scotland,’ said Van Der
Merwe
(right, with
Russell). ‘I don’t like making mistakes.
That is part of the game but in the past I probably struggled a wee bit with that.
‘Finn had spotted what had happened and for him to come up to me, knowing that I was down, showed his leadership qualities.
‘He wanted to get me on board and back in the game, so for him to notice and act was quite special.
‘When I had a bit of head loss for a couple of minutes, Finn asked if I fancied doing some carrying and he got me on the ball again.
‘I made the switch back on after he approached me and I thanked him for that after the game. He said: “I saw the head loss come on, but we needed you”.
‘Against France, it was a confidence booster for me being able to make that switch back after my mistake in just a couple of minutes.
‘None of us want to make mistakes as when you make a mistake then another mistake, it can sometimes get to you.’
Van der Merwe revealed he has since been speaking regularly to Aaron Walsh, the mental skills coach brought in by Townsend to work with the players, as he seeks to deal with occasionally finding himself in that ‘lonely place’. ‘I sometimes don’t have a lot of opportunities,’ he said. ‘And then when I miss out on an opportunity to get points for the team it hurts and I am tough on myself with that.
‘I feel: “Look I had a real good opportunity and knocked the ball on and I take responsibility for that”.
‘As a winger, I maybe get two or three opportunities. If you don’t get into things straight away after you miss a chance, it is different from players in other positions who make a mistake but are back in the action sooner.
‘For instance, a back-row player who misses one tackle is sure to have a chance to make one soon after or get involved at the ruck. On the wing, if you miss an opportunity it gets a bit lonely for two or three minutes when you have a think about everything, so I have to keep working on that.
‘Recently, I have been working with Aaron Walsh and things are getting better. I have sat down with him and he is an amazing guy who understands me.
‘He said after the France game: “It was brilliant to see you make that switch but next time for you, instead of being out for four minutes, let’s get it down to two minutes, to get you back into the game again”.
‘I will keep on working with him. There will always be mistakes, which is not great for us perfectionists. Sometimes when I make a mistake I shy away for a wee bit.
‘It’s quite tough mentally at times but, having Walshy with us, he’s someone I can work with on things.’
Van Der Merwe, who qualifies for Scotland through residency, is looking forward to playing in his first ever World Cup and having the opening match against the land of his birth makes the occasion extra special.
He was born in George in the Western Cape and played for the Blue Bulls before moving to France with Montpellier. His first stint at Edinburgh secured qualification for Scotland prior to him heading to Worcester Warriors, and he rejoined the capital club last year after the English outfit went bust.
‘Where I was born in South Africa was a heartland of rugby,’ he said. ‘My brother Akker won caps for South Africa and CJ Stander’s dad has a farm in George.
‘Manie Libbok, who is in the South African squad, was two years younger than me and went to the same school.
‘Unfortunately, my family won’t be at the opening World Cup game but they are based in South Africa so will go 50/50 for the occasion. I understand that completely but, at the end of the day, I have one job and that is to do my best for Scotland.
‘If I get too emotional because I was born there, it may affect the way I want to prepare. I will focus on what I usually focus on and will look on it as another Test match.
‘Obviously it is a big Test match as it is the first game of the World Cup but I don’t think I have anything to prove to anybody because my career started in Scotland and all I want to do is go well for Scotland.
‘This game against South Africa is what I have been working towards. I like the way they play and they have been mixing it up a fair bit, but we know their power game is something they will always go back to.
‘Physically, they are big men, so we know what is coming. But we have no fears. Personally, I like the physical side of things and sometimes I just have to offer up my body and run into big forwards — and I will do that any time of the day for Scotland.’