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Given that he had only played 11 minutes of rugby since the end of the Six Nations in March, it was always likely Duhan van der Merwe would have to overcome some ring-rust on his return to action.
Pitched in from the start as the British and Irish Lions began their campaign against Argentina in Dublin last Friday night, the Scotland international would have been hoping to blow off the cobwebs.
As one of the most explosive finishers in world rugby, he would no doubt have envisaged marking his comeback with a trademark try and a demonstration of his lethal running power.
While he didn’t manage to score, Van der Merwe made a couple of powerful carries in the first half and was involved in most of the Lions’ best moments in attack.
And yet, a lot of that good stuff was undone by his mistakes. By the end of a difficult night for Van der Merwe and the Lions as a whole, questions were already being asked. Such as whether his attacking brilliance and try-scoring prowess outweigh his defensive deficiencies. It’s an issue which doesn’t tend to be spoken about much with Scotland.
His place in Gregor Townsend’s team is pretty much guaranteed. With the Lions? Not so much. His selection will have been playing on Andy Farrell’s mind as the squad travelled to Australia following their 28-24 defeat to the Pumas.
Duhan van der Merwe's selection will be playing on Andy Farrell's mind after Pumas game
Van der Merwe is held up by Santiago Grondona during Lions' defeat to Argentina
Van Der Merwe showed up well in attack but was at fault for two of the Pumas' tries
Scotland winger van der Merwe attempts an offload during the match in Dublin's Aviva Stadium
Van der Merwe was at fault for two Argentina tries in the first half. The first saw him miss a vital tackle as winger Ignacio Mendy stepped inside to score.
The second, right on the cusp of half-time, saw the South African-born 30-year-old lose the ball cheaply in contact as Argentina countered brilliantly and scored through fly-half Tomas Albornoz.
Having made a couple of high-profile errors which led directly to the concession of two tries, Van der Merwe was later seen on the sidelines with ice on the same ankle that had put him on the injury list for three months.
By all accounts, not a great night. Some critics even suggested that Van der Merwe may have played himself out of the Test team before the plane had even taken off.
That’s probably a slightly premature assessment of his chances, but the Scotland star certainly didn’t do himself any favours.
With the travelling party touching down in Perth on Sunday night, Van der Merwe will arrive in Australia as a player rapidly needing to find some form if he’s to regain the trust of Farrell.
When the Lions squad was selected in early May, Van der Merwe was fretting over whether or not he would be part of Farrell’s plans at all.
Speaking after his selection had been confirmed, he said: ‘Since I’ve picked up the niggle, you have doubts and you start thinking: “Is this going to have an effect on me going on the tour?”
Van der Merwe tries to make a break but is thwarted by Julian Montoya of Argentina
The South African-born winger is held up again, this time by Joaquin Oviedo
Van Der Merwe and his fellow Lions can't hide their dejection after another try for the Pumas
‘Then you start taking yourself back to the Six Nations. Did I have my best Six Nations? Good at times, but probably a wee bit average at times.
‘Then you start thinking: “Am I the type of winger Andy Farrell likes”? You think about that every single day. So I’m definitely a wee bit shocked, but at the same time, I’m absolutely buzzing.’
If Van der Merwe was fully fit and firing on all cylinders, most observers would have him in their starting XV for the three Tests against the Wallabies. At his best, he remains a force of nature.
In reality, his inclusion is not cut and dry. He is still working his way back to full fitness. Other wingers in the squad, most notably James Lowe and Mack Hansen, have Farrell’s trust from Ireland duty.
Tommy Freeman finished the season as one of the form players on the planet, scoring a burst of 15 tries in 10 matches for England and Northampton.
Van der Merwe’s problem that these defensive frailties are not especially new. They are not a one-off that can be brushed aside and forgotten
Over the past few years, for all we have marvelled at some of the brilliant tries he has scored for Scotland, he has often been a weak link in defence.
He misses too many tackles and, for a man of his physique, loses the ball far too often in contact. That kind of stuff can be forgiven when he’s running the length of the field to score against England. But Farrell might not be so willing to overlook such deficiencies, especially with a player who is still working his way back to full fitness. Ultimately, it will be a case of does the head coach stick or twist with Van der Merwe?
Head coach Andy Farrell was unhappy with an error-strewn performance by Lions
Van Der Merwe attempts to make the breakthrough for Lions during a tough night in Dublin
Van der Merwe and Scotland team-mate Sione Tuipulotu share a few words during Pumas defeat
Farrell was never going to be naive enough to single out any player for criticism on the back of the defeat to Argentina. It was scrappy and disjointed, but it wasn’t a night to reach for the flamethrower.
‘Some people will have done themselves proud,’ he said. ‘They’ll be hurting for the team because they’re all team players.
‘Some players will be happy, others won’t and will be dying to get another chance.’
It’s fair to say that Van der Merwe fell into the latter of those two categories, although it should be said he was far from alone in that regard.
Especially under the high ball, he and a few of his team-mates in the backline looked decidedly shaky. You can bet your last Dingo dollar that Australia head coach Joe Schmidt will have taken note of that.
‘We weren’t as consistent as we would have liked to be,’ said captain Maro Itoje. ‘We only showed glimmers of what we can do.
‘When we were on it, we looked good, we just need to do it more consistently. We want to be more aggressive but we are building. We will live, learn and get better.
‘Argentina showed us where we are lacking. I am happy we had a hard-fought game. As we improve our relationships, and spend more time together in training and understanding each other’s triggers, it will come.
Van der Merwe has been left with a point to prove after his performance against the Pumas
‘There are no excuses. We should have been better today but, as with other areas of the game, we’ll learn and get better together. This is only match one.’
It would be foolish to write off the Lions on the basis of what happened in Dublin. The same is true of Van der Merwe’s chances of making the Test starting XV.
If he can prove his fitness and recapture his best form, it will be difficult for Farrell to leave him out. But, right now, he has landed in Australia as a player with a point to prove.
Van der Merwe started all three Tests on the tour of South Africa four years ago. The chances of him doing the same in Australia feel much less certain this time around.
