Scotland boss Gregor Townsend is considering calling up Edinburgh winger Duhan van der Merwe.
The 24-year-old South African is eligible on residence grounds, having joined Edinburgh in 2017.
“I’ve spoken with Duhan at various points this season and in the last couple of weeks,” Townsend said in a media conference on Zoom.
“We obviously see him as someone who would have been in the mix for summer tour. That is unlikely to go ahead, given that our players haven't trained for two months and won’t be back in training in the next several days or weeks, but we’ll keep watching how he plays for Edinburgh.
“He’s an excellent player. He’s shown this season a different level of play as well. His work off the ball has been excellent and his defence has been up there as well. He is quick, he's strong, he makes a lot of line breaks and tackle breaks and he is a young player who will get better the more he plays.
“It is a position where we have competition. Sean Maitland, Blair Kinghorn did very well for us this year. Darcy Graham missed out due to injury, but we’ve got Kyle Steyn and Ratu Tagive and Byron McGuigan. With Tommy Seymour retiring from international rugby, Duhan can certainly be in the mix for our next international.”
LIST | 5 England players who could swap nations for 2023 World Cup
Sir Bill Beaumont has hit back in the World Rugby election race and revealed he wants to create a law change that would allow Manu Tuilagi and other England stars to end their Test career playing for other nations.
The former England captain raised the possibility in his re-election manifesto ahead of next month's contest with former Argentina scrum-half Agustin Pichot.
In it he promises a review of Regulation 8 which covers eligibility to play for national teams “to see how we can support the longevity of players' international careers”.
Based on this, we've looked at some other current England stars who could head to the 2023 Rugby World Cup to represent other nations.
We've not included Billy Vunipola, as we think he is likely to be still in the reckoning for England in three years time.
1. Manu Tuilagi (Samoa)
- Current number of caps: 41
- Age at the start of RWC 2023: 32
- Did you know: He was named Manusamoa, after the name of the Samoan national team
The England centre, who was born in Fogapoa and came to the UK at the age of 13, is one of a clutch of Pacific Island players whose eligibility status could change if the restrictions are relaxed. He is the younger brother of Freddie, Henry, Alesana, Anitelea and Sanele Vavae Tuilagi, all of whom are Samoan internationals and also played for Leicester. It would be fantastic for the powerhouse to complete the set.
2. Mako Vunipola (Tonga)
- Current number of caps: 63
- Age at the start of RWC 2023: 32
- Did you know: In 2018, Vunipola and his partner welcomed a son, Jacob.
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, the loosehead-prop would be eligiable to play for Tonga as he is the son of former Tonga captain Fe'ao Vunipola. He is also the nephew of two other former international players, Manu and 'Elisi Vunipola who both represented Tonga in the 1990s.
3. Nathan Hughes (Fiji)
- Current number of caps: 20
- Age at the start of RWC 2023: 32
- Did you know: His uncle, Asaeli Hughes, is a former dual international having represented Fiji in both basketball and 15s rugby
The number eight was unlucky not to be included in Eddie Jones' squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The number eight, who has impressed for Bristol Bears this season, would be a stellar addition to the Fiji pack.
4. Christian Wade (USA)
- Current number of caps: 1
- Age at the start of RWC 2023: 32
- Did you know: In October 2018 Wade left rugby union to pursue a career in the NFL
Having left rugby union to pursue a career in the NFL, signing a reserve/future contract with the Bills on 6 January 2020. If he stays across the pond, the winger could make a shock switch back to the sport and possibly represent the 2023 Rugby World Cup, finally getting the international recognition he never received while playing in England.
5. Denny Solomona (Samoa)
- Current number of caps: 5
- Age at the start of RWC 2023: 30
- Did you know: He scored 42 tries in 2016, breaking the Super League record
Despite representing England in rugby union, the winger has previously played for Samoa at international in rugby league. After falling out of Eddie Jones plans, representing Samoa would give the deadly finisher another chance to prove himself on the international stage.
