Winger Duhan van der Merwe pens new deal with Edinburgh

Duhan van der Merwe has committed his immediate future with Edinburgh Rugby after signing a new deal with the Pro14 club.

Van der Merwe started his professional rugby career with Bulls before moving to Montpellier ahead of the 2016/17 season. His move to Edinburgh came during the 2017/18 season and has made 53 appearances for the Scottish regional side in which he scored 28 tries - making him the fourth highest try scorer for the club after Tim Visser (69), Chris Paterson (57), Simon Webster (36) and Derrick Lee (32).

The winger currently tops both the Guinness PRO14 and European Challenge Cup stats for metres gained (599m and 387m), while he has beaten the most defenders (45) and made the most clean breaks (18) after ten rounds of league action.

“I’m absolutely delighted to re-sign with the club," he told the official website of the club.

“It’s clear that big things are happening at Edinburgh Rugby and it’s an honour and a privilege to be a part of this club’s journey.”

Meanwhile, Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill expressed delight in van der Merwe's decision to remain with the Murrayfield based club.

“Duhan, on current form, is one of the most dangerous attacking players in Europe, so we’re obviously delighted to see him re-sign with the club.

“At 24, he’s still a young man, and his game is improving all the time. We’re excited to see him continue to score tries for Edinburgh Rugby in the seasons to come.”

Edinburgh hold the top place in the Conference A table of Pro 14 after seven victories from 10 games.