Duhan Scotland Six Nations

Duhan van der Merwe on the charge in the Six Nations. Photo: Twitter

SLOW-MO VIDEO: SA-born wing’s stunning solo Six Nations try

South Africa-born wing Duhan van der Merwe scored one of the greatest ever tries in the Six Nations to help Scotland beat England.

Duhan Scotland Six Nations

Duhan van der Merwe on the charge in the Six Nations. Photo: Twitter

Scotland made history with a third consecutive victory over England for the first time since 1972, but there was one moment in particular from the opening day of Six Nations action that really caught the eye.

Duhan van der Merwe received the ball from Kyle Steyn inside his own half, but instead of running towards his support or putting the ball into the air, Van der Merwe ran into space and immediately caused England problems.

Beating Joe Marchant and Ollie Chessum, he was in behind the England defensive line, but there was still a lot of work to do, with three more men back.

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Van der Merwe at the double in memorable Six Nations win

Van der Merwe is known for his power more than his agility, but he proved when stepping around first Jack van Poortvliet and then Freddie Steward that he has plenty more strings to his bow than merely brute force.

With four England players beaten already, Van der Merwe was now just seven metres from the line, with only Alex Dombrandt able to stop him. England’s No.8 was unable to do so thanks to the Scotland winger’s hand off and he dived over the line in front of a stunned Twickenham Stadium.

It will go down as one of the greatest ever tries in not just Calcutta Cup history, but Six Nations history.

And incredibly he did not stop there, scoring past a handful of defenders in the second half to seal an historic second Championship consecutive win for Scotland on English soil – a feat not achieved since 1909, when Twickenham Stadium was still just a cabbage patch.

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Van der Merwe’s 28th-minute try understandably came in for special praise from Scotland coach Gregor Townsend, who likened the score to something seen in a video game based on the exploits of late New Zealand great Jonah Lomu.

“It was incredible, wasn’t it?,” he said after Scotland’s third win in a row over England and only their sixth victory at Twickenham. “It reminded me of when, for everybody of a certain age, you played ‘Jonah Lomu Rugby’ and suddenly one person can go quicker.

“Duhan hasn’t had much rugby over the last few weeks. He’s trained really well with us but to play like he did today on the back of an injury, and not playing for Edinburgh, is real testament to how he’s got himself in this position, both mentally and physically.

“That first try was amazing, and one that gets the Scotland supporters going crazy in the stand and silences everyone else because you don’t see tries like that very often.”