Merwe

Duhan van der Merwe, for one, wants “to leave a legacy” as he prepares to earn his 50th cap versus the USA at Murrayfield on Saturday.

“There’s still a lot more to give. I wouldn’t say there’s something I want to achieve as an individual, but as a team, I probably want to look forward to this autumn nations and go and win all four games,” the Edinburgh wing said.

“Looking at the Six Nations, have a real go at that. We’ve been talking about that over the last couple of years. Hopefully, the day I retire, I’ll be able to say I’ve won a Six Nations.”

Things are looking brighter for Scotland heading into this campaign than they were for this year’s Six Nations, when a crippling injury list grew to such horrendous proportions that any chance of a title challenge was mortally wounded before the action even kicked off.

Sione Tuipulotu, Scott Cummings, Kyle Steyn and all the others have returned, with Huw Jones the only notable absentee for this autumn series.

The healthy Scottish representation on the summer British and Irish Lions tour – 12 Scots tasted action in Australia – should also inject some fresh confidence into the group.

For Van der Merwe, however, it was a mixed experience. Having played all three matches in the Test series in South Africa in 2021, he failed to break into Andy Farrell’s matchday squad for any of the three Tests against the Wallabies.

“It was obviously bittersweet,” the 30-year-old said.

“It was a really special tour to be involved in that. Unfortunately, I wasn’t selected in one of the Tests, but I’ll be taking it game by game just to try and be at my best for Scotland.

“I’m not going to particularly look at a single game and say, ‘you guys didn’t select me’ and I’m going to try and have my best game’. I’m just going to take it game by game to show what I can do as a player.”

Van der Merwe has shown exactly what he can do in a Scotland jersey since his Test debut against Georgia in 2020.

He delivered a taste of what was to come in his first Scotland outing with a try – and he has gone on to amass 32 of them in 49 caps to become the country’s record try-scorer.

Starting against the USA will give him a chance to extend that record – and an opportunity to enjoy a personal milestone that seemed unlikely when he started his rugby journey in Scotland five years ago.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “When I made my debut back five years ago, I never thought I’d be sitting here making my 50th. It’s just a very special moment for myself and my family.

“I came over as a pretty raw player back in 2017 to Edinburgh. So to be on the receiving side of a couple of walk-ins and a couple of lucky tries against England kind of just shows the hard work that I’ve put in over the last couple of years.

“There’s been a lot of special memories over the last five years. I’m not getting any younger, am I? I kind of have to make the most out of what I think I’ve got left. I’ve got so much more to give over the next couple of years.”

The majority of Andy Farrell’s Test squad is more or less settled, but there were some guys out there playing for big stakes.

Hugo Keenan needed a reassuring display at full-back given that Blair Kinghorn will miss the first Test in Brisbane. And he delivered. Jac Morgan was competing for the open-side jersey that’s flitted between himself, Josh van der Flier and Tom Curry. Morgan was influential.

With the news coming through about Ringrose, Huw Jones picked a good night to have a big game. His partnership with Sione Tuipulotu was convincing.

By the time Farrell entered the fray the game was over as a contest, but he looked good all the same, although there are bigger examinations to come, of course.

After so many slow starts, the Lions must have craved a fast one – and they made it happen.

Hansen was good in the air, Morgan was good on the floor and Keenan was particularly good when taking a quick line-out throw that was at the heart of the first try, the brilliant Jones giving the pass for Van der Merwe to score.

Within a blink of an eye, White had taken advantage of a giant amount of space at the side of a ruck and he ran away to the posts. Smith’s conversion made it 12-0. The high hopes some might have had for the AUNZ side started to disappear into the night sky above the Adelaide Oval at that point.

The Lions were slick and sharp, the best they’ve been on tour. Ruthless, too. Pollock might have been held up in the corner, but it didn’t really matter. Soon enough, Tuipulotu and Smith were putting Van der Merwe away for the big man’s second try of the night.

More good stuff from Jones and more reminders of what a world-class attacker he is. If the Lions get bad news on Ringrose then what a player they have in Jones, who’s been getting better and better since returning from injury.