Scotland deal England fresh Six Nations blow after Van der Merwe hat-trick

24 February 2024 , 18:33

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Duhan van der Merwe stole the show with a hat-trick against England (Image: Getty Images)

An eye-catching hat-trick from Duhan van der Merwe helped Scotland get the better of England in their Six Nations clash at Murrayfield.

England had begun their campaign with a pair of narrow victories. They needed to come from behind to beat Italy in their away opener, while a late George Ford penalty proved decisive in a 16-14 victory over Wales at Twickenham.

Scotland went into the game with one win and one loss from their first two games. After withstanding a late Wales comeback to win in Cardiff, they fell short against France in round two.

Van der Merwe scored two tries in the victory over Wales, and the winger took centre-stage once more against England. His second try was the stand-out, as he sprinted half the length of the field to go over in the corner and earn plaudits from the BBC panel at half-time.

It was England who had drawn first blood, though George Furbank's try felt like a distant memory by the break. A 10-0 England lead turned into a 13-17 deficit at half-time, with Scotland going on to extend that lead even further.

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Van der Merwe completed his hat-trick less than five minutes into the second period. There was still work to do to collect Finn Russell's kick, but he did so expertly before crossing the try line.

A second Ford penalty of the afternoon brought England back within eight points of their rivals. Russell took it back up to 11 and then 14 with two penalties of his own, though, to keep the Scots on top.

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Van der Merwe completed his hat-trick early in the second half (Getty Images)

As Scotland looked to cruise to victory, England gave them a fright as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso went over. The try wasn't converted, though, keeping the margin at nine, and thar proved enough as England ran out of time.

Scotland beat England in the 2023 edition of the Six Nations, with Van der Merwe and Russell playing big roles. So it proved again this time, with the hosts getting the job done.

Scotland are next in action on March 9, when they travel to Italy. England are back at Twickenham later the same day, welcoming an Ireland team who have gone three for three so far.

Tom Victor