Duhan van der Merwe makes long-awaited return as Scotland chances assessed

The winger has been picked to start against the Dragons in the United Rugby Championship clash in Newport in what will be his first appearance since the Six Nations win over Wales on February 21.

Van der Merwe subsequently injured his ankle and has been given time to recover from what has been a recurring issue. Sean Everitt, the Edinburgh coach, hopes the winger will be re-energised as he prepares to play for the club for the first time since January.

“I'm glad that he's back on the field,” said Everitt. “It's been a long time. He's struggled with his ankle and he's feeling really good. He had a great week of training this week and I'm hoping that he'll bring energy to the group that has had a long season, and obviously x-factor on the wing. His finishing expertise will be brilliant for us if he can get the ball in his hands.”

Dropped by Scotland

The latter has been an issue for van der Merwe at Edinburgh. There have been too many games in recent seasons where he has been a peripheral figure, seeing little of the ball. While the onus is on Edinburgh’s midfield to supply one of the game’s deadliest finishers with the ammunition required, van der Merwe has also been guilty of not doing enough.

He was dropped from the Scotland team for the first time this season, with Kyle Steyn preferred for the big autumn Test against New Zealand. He was overlooked again at the start of the Six Nations but returned for the round three win over Wales before succumbing again to an ankle injury.

Now, with two games remaining of the URC season, he has the chance to push his case for a Scotland recall ahead of the July matches against Argentina and South Africa away, and Fiji at Murrayfield.

“We know that he's world-class when he's at his best,” said Everitt. “He hasn't been happy with his performances and obviously playing at the back of the mind is an ankle niggle that you carry with you and we all know that rugby players are better when they're 100 per cent confident with their bodies.

“Obviously, these next two games are going to be vital to see where he's at. He's got a lot of competition in the Scottish team, as we know. There were players that were picked ahead of him in the Six Nations but Duhan at his best is one of the best in the world so hopefully we can hit the ground running on Saturday and build up momentum into the next game against Connacht, which would put him into position to be able to be selected for the summer tour.”

Asked whether playing through the summer rather than resting would be a good thing for van der Merwe after his injury issues, Everitt added: “I think everyone would want to represent their country, so I'd say it's a good thing.”

Edinburgh seek a rare win on the road

Van der Merwe comes in for Mal Satala on the left wing for the game at Rodney Parade. Also returning for Edinburgh is Harry Paterson, who has recovered from a quad injury and takes over from Piers O’Conor at full-back. The other changes see Ross Thompson replace Cammy Scott at 10 and Callum Hunter-Hill in for Marshall Sykes in the second row. Magnus Bradbury, the club captain, and Liam McConnell return on the bench to bolster their back-row options.

Edinburgh have not won on the road since beating Benetton on January 3, their only away victory of the season, but they go into Saturday’s match on the back of home wins over Zebre and the Sharks. It’s too late for them in terms of making the URC play-offs - that ship sailed long ago - but Everitt said there was a determination within the group to finish the season with four wins.

“Like I said before, we're halfway there,” he said. “The motivation hasn't changed. We're really proud of who we are, who we represent.

“There's been a lot of growth with the youngsters coming in and performing well. They've been really well supported by the senior group as well. We're in a good place. I'm quite proud of the fact that they're so determined to do well, and they're so determined to do well for the fans and show their gratitude to the fans. They displayed that against the Sharks. I don't think there's many teams that would have a team as motivated as we are going into the last two games of the URC.”

How Edinburgh will line up in Wales

Dragons v Edinburgh (URC round 17, Rodney Parade, Saturday, 7.45pm)

Edinburgh: 15. Harry Paterson; 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Mosese Tuipulotu, 12. Findlay Thomson, 11. Duhan van der Merwe; 10. Ross Thompson, 9. Hector Patterson; 1. Pierre Schoeman, 2. Ewan Ashman, 3. Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 4. Callum Hunter-Hill, 5. Grant Gilchrist (capt), 6. Glen Young, 7. Freddy Douglas, 8. Tom Currie. Replacements: 16. Dylan Richardson, 17. Boan Venter, 18. Paul Hill, 19. Marshall Sykes, 20. Liam McConnell, 21. Magnus Bradbury, 22. Charlie Shiel, 23. Piers O’Conor.