Far from the countryside, Duhan Van Der Merwe is often collected on the couch with its two French bulldogs, Ziggy and Moose.
A look at his life at home in Edinburgh, as seen in the last documentary of the six nations in Netflix, paints an image of an introspective character that hits himself if he cooks too much his fillet.
Unfortunately for England, it becomes a different beast with a rugby ball in your hands. Built as a real -life action action figure, bulky biceps and big blond hair, has played in four cups of Calcutta and won them all.
As Danny Care confesses: “Duhan Van Der Merwe seems to be the best player in the world every time he plays against England.”
It is not an ordinary wing of Scotland; The Afrikaner accent gives it. He was born in George, South Africa, and played for SA schools with people like Jesse Kriel, Handre Pollard and Malcolm Marx.
The injuries eliminated their ambitions to play for the Springboks, but, thanks to an unlikely turn of destiny, the loss of South Africa became the gain of Scotland.
Duhan Van Der Merwe is not an ordinary end, and thanks to an unlikely turn of the loss of South Africa, it became the gain of Scotland
Danny Care once joked saying that Van Merwe became the best player in the world every time he faced England
He has a fantastic record against England, and heading to the Copa Calcutta clash will be one to see
He arrived in Edinburgh in 2017 with a loose bone in the pelvis and the lack of health insurance to pay surgery. “He failed in his doctor,” said Richard Cockerill, who was the club's rugby director at that time.
'I needed surgery and that meant a three -month recovery. There were some people above me who thought we should not keep it, but we took it a clearing with it.
'I was very raw. He was a little wood in his skills, his particular soft skills, but Scott Wisemantel recommended that he had worked with him in Montpellier.
'Scott's comment was that if you put time and effort to him and give play time, it could be anything. He had raw rhythm and raw power and was not very expensive. Now his salary would be five times for what we signed, but it is worth every penny.
Over the years, Van Der Merwe has softened the rough edges in his game. When his grandfather left him at the South Africa airport in 2020 to board a flight to Edinburgh, he left him with a final message: “When you play for Scotland, I will fly and see you.”
Unfortunately, he did not live to see the day, but Van Der Merwe has been proud of the family since then. It has gone from a player that the teams tried to expose under the high ball to one who kicked at their risk. The loose balls on Twickenham on Saturday will be engulfed as Biltong by the man who has scored six attempts against Steve Borthwick's team.
He exceeded the national record of Stuart Hogg attempts last year and has firmly established in the folkby of Scottish rugby. Playing his role in the double perfect act as the seuaz of Finn Russell.
“Duhey was a bit unknown entity when she first appeared in Edinburgh,” said the club and teammate of Country Murray McCallum. 'He had a doubtful knee, a doubtful hip, old and skinny pins and Muckle biceps. I was quite quiet to start because it was not fit and was entering a culture with a very different humor in which we all oriented each other.
He has transformed his game of being someone from the opposition to the deliberately, one to whom they kick their own danger.
The end born in South Africa has obtained an impressive six attempts against England to date
'When they limit you for the first time to Scotland, if you have not grown in Scotland, then you are forced to sing the anthem. He killed him for the first time, for our delight. He obtained the first pair of lines and then said a wrong word and collapsed completely.
'Everyone began to devote themselves and that was all. We are a pretty sarcastic group and it took time to adapt to that, but finally took it as a duck to water and look at it now. The man can do anything … He even has his own whiskey brand!
During a two -stations parenthesis in the Premier League, Van Der Merwe took care of Worcester fans. Raising the weights of 70 kg in the gym, he was one of the strongest operators in the club and a man who Steve Diamond described as one of the best players he has worked with.
“He is a winner of the game, he is loyal and is a damn screwed,” Diamond said. “I said:” If you averaged an attempt in each game, then you can return home to South Africa every week of rest. ”
'He scored many attempts and had many vacations. I gave him many times to put his vest and go and pose in the sun. I love it.'
His neighbor in Worcester was the center of England Ollie Lawrence, who lived in the same new construction block block. Lawrence will have the task of stirring coverage to his former partner this weekend, and Borthwick reminds his players the damage he can do in the last 10 days.
They have focused on removing their space and neutralizing their elusive left standing. Any possible means to avoid scoring another 60 meters attempt on Twickenham.
“In Worcester, we only gave the ball, to be honest, and we said:” Follow, go, “said Lawrence.
Ollie Lawrence, who will align against him for England, was his former neighbor in Worcester
Club and El País teammate, Murray McCallum, said 'Duhey' can do anything
England has focused on neutralizing the space that it obtains and eliminating its pass from the left in the hope of calming its nemesis this weekend
'Duhey is a great character. He is a very good friend and an extremely talented player.
'He loves throwing people from him. I will not say too much, but there are definitely areas that we can look for and we hope to try to do it on Saturday. As a player, with him and looking at him, it's great to see him. It has gone well in a Scotland shirt.
'You want them to play against the best players. We have excellent wings in our team and I really want to see how the weekend and enter the battle and, hopefully, close so much of their space and time. Then we will see how it is after the game.
After four years of pain and humiliation, this is the week when England finally hopes to silence your nemesis.