Scotland issue update on struggling Duhan van der Merwe

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The South Africa-born powerhouse had been sidelined with an ankle injury picked up against Vannes on 13 January, which saw him miss Edinburgh’s Challenge Cup fixture against Black Lion. However, defence coach Steve Tandyprovided a positive update on Monday.

“Duhan’s been in training today,” Tandy revealed. “He’s been good, he’s done everything today.”

Scotland’s squad has been hit by setbacks in recent weeks, with the likes of Sione Tuipulotu, Scott Cummings, Dylan Richardson, and Josh Bayliss all ruled out of the championship. Concerns had also grown over back-rower Luke Crosbie and second-row stalwarts Grant Gilchrist and Jonny Gray, but Tandy played down fears of further withdrawals.

“No, the boys trained today,” he said. “Everyone’s been in and has been training, so that’s great for us after losing a few. But that’s rugby—every team has it.

“We’ve lost a couple of big ones, but it is what it is. We’ve just got to focus on the boys that are coming in. It’s an amazing opportunity to represent Scotland, whoever it may be.”

With Van der Merwe back in the mix and key players returning to training, Scotland will be looking to start their Six Nations campaign on a high in front of a home crowd. Can they overcome the injury setbacks and deliver a statement performance against Italy?

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