MARK KEOHANE | Saffa-inspired Scots a stunning sight

Just under a third of Scotland’s starting XV against England were South African-born and raised. And it was this quartet of Saffas that was at the heart of a stunning win against England at Twickenham. 

The Scots won 29-23, with left-wing Duhan van der Merwe scoring two tries, one of which will be a favourite to be voted the try of this season’s Six Nations. Van der Merwe ran 55 metres, brushed off the tackle attempts of five English players, showed incredible strength, subtlety and skill with his footwork. His hand-off to break the final tackle was brutal, but his ability to switch the ball from one hand to the other without breaking his stride to make the hand-off took serious skill. The lad can play and there was something Jonah Lomu-like about that try-scoring run of his. It was thrilling to watch such a powerhouse in full flight. It was a special try from a special talent.

Van der Merwe’s wing colleague on the right, Kyle Steyn, wasn’t as obviously explosive, but he was effective and confident in a performance that showcased his ability to play Test rugby. Steyn is the son of Rory Steyn, the former head of security for late former president Nelson Mandela. Steyn, before he left for Scotland, played for the Maties and Griquas.

Van der Merwe, whose older brother Akker played for the Springboks, attended Pretoria University and made his professional debut in 2016 for the Bulls.

Both players are a long way from their roots, but both have embraced Scotland as their home and the response from Scottish supporters has been one of adoption and not objection.

All four are treated as locals and all four relate to Scotland as their home. All four also speak lovingly of South Africa and all four are regular visitors to South Africa.

It hasn’t always been the case with foreign-born players and the Scotland national side. In the late 1990s, Scotland were nicknamed the Kilted Kiwis as they had as many as seven New Zealanders in their starting XV and the criticism was that they were only picked because of ancestry and would return to New Zealand once their international careers ended. It proved an accurate criticism.  

Not so with three of the four South Africans who started against England, the quartet being wingers Van der Merwe and Steyn and starting props WP Nel and Pierre Schoeman. Three played out their three-year residency periods in Scotland before making their respective Test debuts, while Steyn qualified through his mother's ancestry but moved to Scotland in 2018 and only made his Test debut in 2020.

All four are treated as locals and all four relate to Scotland as their home. All four also speak lovingly of South Africa, and all four are regular visitors to South Africa, in the URC as players or in a personal capacity because of family living in South Africa.

Another South African also played an influential role, but he was in the coach’s box. Pieter de Villiers, born in the Western Cape, schooled in the Western Cape, left for France as a 20-year-old and ended up playing 70 Tests for France. Post his playing career he has had coaching roles with the Springboks, but for the past few years has been the key to Scotland’s improved power scrum. De Villiers has also been a part of a Scottish coaching set-up that has beaten England three times in succession, with two of the wins at Twickenham.

Nel spoke of his pride in the Scotland jersey, as did the other three, but what has been as impressive each time they’ve addressed the South African-born and raised issue, is that they never speak in denial of their love for South Africa.

Scotland’s win made for a glorious start to their Six Nations campaign and was the highlight of a wonderful opening round of matches in which Ireland beat Wales and France edged Italy in Rome.

But back to Twickenham and the Scottish win. A mate asked me if it only took four South Africans to beat England at Twickenham, what would 15 South Africans do to England at Twickenham? The answer was simple: they’d crush them 27-13 and do so finishing 14 players against 15. Cue November 26 2022.