Gregor Townsend enjoys the ongoing battle between Darcy Graham And Duhan van der Merwe at the top of Scotland’s all-time try-scoring list after the prolific pair crossed the whitewash five times during Saturday’s 57-17 defeat at Fiji.
Graham, 27, marked his first international appearance in 13 months after a spate of injuries by scoring four times and briefly moving level with his colleague Edinburgh wing as the national team’s record scorer.
But 29-year-old Van der Merwe – who overtook Stuart Hogg during this year’s summer tour of America – quickly reaffirmed himself at the top of the charts with a 72-minute score of his own, shortly after Graham left the field following a head injury.
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“It’s great that we’re living this history,” said head coach Townsend. “You have two players who still have a lot of rugby ahead of them and who are setting try-scoring records.
“I think Ian Smith from 1925 had lasted for so many years, but now we see that it breaks down with every game or any other game that those two play.
Darcy Graham is ready for another try against Fiji – PA
“They don’t push each other and try to look for tries, they do the right thing for their team. And their efforts are often also scored by the work of other people.”
Graham’s man-of-the-match display came in his first Scotland performance since the World Cup defeat Ireland in October 2023.
“Darcy was excellent,” Townsend said. “He scores different types of tries. So yeah, it was not only great to see him back, but even better to see him score tries.
“I thought in the last game he played for Edinburgh against Cardiff, that was close to his best form. Because he didn’t play last week, he was able to have a very good week of training because he was fresh, and today he went up a level again, which was very nice.
Townsend confirmed Graham failed an on-field HIA, casting doubt on whether he will be available for next Sunday’s Test against South Africa at Murrayfield.
Duhan van der Merwe – PA
“I think he didn’t get that HIA one, so we’ll have to wait for the HIA two now,” the head coach said. “That’s why he didn’t come onto the field anymore. If he passes, he will receive a HIA three in two days.’
Full-back Kyle Rowewho scored Scotland’s first try on a day when he was center stage Huw Jones suffered a double, went off with a hamstring injury at the end of the first half and is expected to miss next weekend’s match with the two-time reigning World Cup winner.
“Kyle is obviously upset because he thinks he might be missing for the next few weeks,” Townsend said. ‘He felt his hamstring, so he knows his own body.
“We hope it’s nothing serious, but you won’t know until you get the scan results. It’s a real shame because I think he’s played really well all year, all calendar year.”
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