Duhan Van der Merwe Sets Record as Scotland Defeats Uruguay

Duhan van der Merwe’s record-breaking performance was a highlight as Scotland secured a victory over Uruguay, rounding off their Americas Tour. Van der Merwe, now Scotland’s all-time leading try scorer with 28 tries in just 41 games was praised as “an amazing achievement.” Despite achieving their fourth consecutive win on foreign soil for the first time since 1927, Scotland’s performance in Montevideo was unconvincing.

Tries from Ewan Ashman, Luke Crosbie and Van der Merwe gave Scotland an early lead but Uruguay fought back with tries from Santiago Alvarez and Filipe Etcheverry, narrowing the gap to five points by halftime. Uruguay’s Manuel Diana then leveled the score but Scotland responded quickly with tries from Patrick Harrison and Pierre Schoeman to secure the win.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend acknowledged the game wasn’t as fluid as previous tour matches but praised Van der Merwe’s record-setting try. He noted, “He didn’t get as many touches, but he finished his try well. We’re all delighted for him, and it’s an amazing achievement in such a short space of time.”

Both teams were not at full strength, with Scotland fielding mostly Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors players and Uruguay missing key players due to the Olympics Sevens squad. Uruguay started strong but failed to capitalize on early pressure, with fly-half Etcheverry missing a penalty.

Scotland quickly punished them with Ashman scoring from a rolling maul. Scotland extended their lead through Crosbie and Duhan van der Merwe but Uruguay responded with tries from Alvarez and Etcheverry. Diana’s try drew Uruguay level, but missed conversions cost them. Scotland pulled ahead with tries from Harrison and Schoeman, ensuring victory.

Townsend praised his team’s resilience, stating, “This has been our biggest test, and they came through, so we’re very proud of them.”