Duhan van der Merwe has hit back at critics questioning his Scottish allegiance, as the South African winger defends his Saffa switch
Duhan defends his Saffa switc
Van der Merwe and fellow SA-born Scotland star Pierre Schoeman were selected by head coach Andy Farrell for the nine-match trip to Australia from 28 June to 2 August.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian, Van der Merwe, now Scotland’s all-time leading try-scorer (32), opened up about the challenges of leaving home at 22 and forging a new life abroad.
The George-born flyer insisted his commitment to the Scottish jersey runs deep after being given a lifeline by club Edinburgh seven years ago.
“I went over as a young boy and people don’t understand how hard it is, leaving your family behind, leaving everything behind, going to a country where you don’t know how things work,” he said.
“Initially, my English wasn’t good at all. It was tough. People don’t understand how hard that transition is.
“People don’t see the amount of hard work and sacrifice you put in because I wouldn’t be sitting here without it.”
Van der Merwe is fired up to take on the Wallabies after a difficult 2021 Lions tour to his native South Africa, marked by lockdown restrictions and online abuse.
“There were a lot of personal messages on social media towards me. I just dust it off because I know how hard I’ve worked to get to where I am,” he said.
“You always have people on social media who are going to bring you down and slate you, but I’ve got to a point in my career where it doesn’t faze me at all.”
Fit again after an ankle injury, the 30-year-old returns in Friday’s warm-up against Argentina in Dublin. “I believe if I can get as many touches as possible, somehow I can get a line break or score,” he added.
“Somehow I always have my best game against England – the boys say: ‘Just imagine it’s white jerseys.’”
