Even by the standards of a Guinness Six Nations Try of the Championship, Duhan van der Merwe’s sensational solo effort against England was something special.
And the Scotland star’s unforgettable score has now been voted as Breitling’s #DefiningMoment of the 2023 Championship.
Breitling’s ‘Squad Members’, a world-class collective of current and former players, put forward four standout moments and Van der Merwe’s effort collected more than half of the votes, totalling 54.68%.
Hugo Keenan’s try against France in the blockbuster Round 2 clash in Dublin, named Sage’s Play of the Championship, was second with 29.01%.
That put him ahead of his compatriot Rob Herring sealing the Grand Slam against England, which took just over 10%, and Mathieu Jalibert’s typically superb finish against Italy.
But there was a decisive winner and that was Van der Merwe, who showed his typical pace and skill to step four defenders on his way into England’s 22 during the Round 1 Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham.
That alone would have made it a memorable score, but then Van der Merwe brought his power to the party, handing Alex Dombrandt off before crossing the whitewash.
The win meant Scotland recorded back-to-back triumphs at Twickenham for the first time, and Van der Merwe was crucial to his side from the word go.
