But looking at the bigger picture, there is deep interest in the wing’s future. Van der Merwe is out of contract at the end of the season with Edinburgh and there are suggestions in Scotland that his club form has not matched his return at Test level.
Obviously, Van der Merwe isn’t being fed attacking opportunities by Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones when playing for Edinburgh. So far this season he has three tries in five matches, including two against Leinster; hardly a dismal return.
In the two previous seasons since he rejoined the club in 2022, Van der Merwe has scored twice in eight matches and then seven times in 17 games. Tally those up with his first spell at the club between 2017-21 and Van der Merwe overall has scored 44 tries in 96 games, narrowly less than a try every two games.
As good as his return for Scotland? No. But he has also been playing in an Edinburgh side who have finished last two seasons in 12th and 10th in the United Rugby Championship.
“We desperately do want to keep him here,” Edinburgh’s head coach Sean Everitt said last month, citing Van der Merwe’s whisky business with his Edinburgh and Scotland team-mate Pierre Schoeman as a reason why the wing may opt to stay in the Scottish capital. Perhaps he will.
Van der Merwe grateful for Edinburgh ‘lifeline’
Van der Merwe has spoken in the past about how indebted he felt to the club for taking a chance on him after a hip injury derailed the start of his professional career at Montpellier, throwing Van der Merwe “a lifeline” after he failed his medical with Edinburgh by allowing him to rehab with the club before his career took off. After Worcester’s demise, he was quickly back in Edinburgh after one season at Sixways.
Van der Merwe turns 30 next June, and the combination of his dedication to Edinburgh – seven seasons – his age and struggles with injury several years ago suggest that now is the perfect time for Van der Merwe to cash in over in the Top 14.
While being without Van der Merwe outside of the Test release window would not be ideal, having his salary off the Scottish Rugby Union’s books, given the SRU is in the middle of a financial reset after losses of around £10.6m for the 2023-24 financial year, seems like a sensible sacrifice.
There are several potential suitors. La Rochelle, Montpellier, Bayonne and Lyon in France have all been linked. The Stormers have shot down suggestions they were looking to finance a deal to bring him back to South Africa (Van der Merwe was born in the Western Cape).
Perhaps he decides to stay with Edinburgh after all, but now feels like the time in his career to go for the mega contract.
And while on the field Van der Merwe will continue this highly enjoyable battle with Graham to be Scotland’s top try-scorer, off the field he has a huge decision to make.
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