Duhan van der Merwe sends Scotland big message but Edinburgh Rugby lose again

Van der Merwe’s selection at the Aviva Stadium raised eyebrows a week before Scotland’s Six Nations opener against Italy. No longer an automatic starter for the national team, this game was a final opportunity to stake a claim ahead of the likes of Kyle Steyn and Darcy Graham.

However, this was another tough defeat for Edinburgh, who played well in stages but left the Irish capital empty-handed after the hosts’ Scott Penny ran in three tries as Leinster secured the win.

It is the 11th straight victory across all competitions for Leo Cullen’s side, who sit second with 39 points, five shy of table-topping Glasgow Warriors.

Edinburgh were hoping to secure a first victory over Leinster since March 2019, but it was the hosts who struck first when Max Deegan touched down for an opening 13th-minute try, successfully converted by Charlie Tector.

Van der Merwe and Malelili Satala struck back with tries for Edinburgh, but Ross Thompson, who had earlier missed a penalty, could not convert the first try, though added a 23rd-minute penalty.

Penny then scored his hat-trick in the 44th, 68th and 74th minutes, Tector booting the extras on all three.

Charlie Shiel crossed the whitewash to draw Edinburgh closer with a last-gasp try, Cammy Scott missing the conversion as Edinburgh ran out of time to stage a comeback.