{"id":144753,"date":"2025-05-30T18:18:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T18:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/144753\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T18:18:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T18:18:13","slug":"duhan-van-der-merwe-misses-out-on-quarter-final-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/144753\/","title":{"rendered":"Duhan van der Merwe misses out on quarter-final clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Duhan\"Duhan van der Merwe was injured playing for Edinburgh against the Dragons in late March. Image: \u00a9 Craig Watson.
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DUHAN van der Merwe is out of Edinburgh\u2019s URC quarter-final against the Bulls tomorrow, despite having travelled to Pretoria with Sean Everitt\u2019s squad. However, he should be available for the semi-final against either the Sharks or Munster should Edinburgh get through.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grant Gilchrist<\/strong> also misses the play-off match at Loftus Versfeld because of the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the past few weeks, while his fellow-lock Glen Young<\/strong> did not make the trip to Pretoria after the recent birth of his child. Like Van der Merwe, who has been out of action for two months after needing surgery on an ankle injury, both second-rows could be in contention for a place in the semi-final should Edinburgh progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuhan has been back training with us here in Pretoria this week, and he\u2019s feeling good,\u201d head coach Everitt said after announcing his team. \u201cHowever, he\u2019s probably still a few days away from being ready to return to full match action. We\u2019re managing his return carefully to ensure he\u2019s fully prepared when he does step back onto the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was always going to be a tough one, you know. We brought him along. There\u2019s a possibility of a semi-final in Durban, so bringing him along made sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that he couldn\u2019t be on the bench, it\u2019s just that he finished his return to play yesterday and with Harry Paterson<\/strong> and Darcy Graham<\/strong> and obviously Wes Goosen<\/strong> in really good form it didn\u2019t make sense to play him after just three training sessions on the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d rather have a 100 per cent fit Duhan next week. He\u2019s come through the week well, so physically he\u2019s good. Obviously, just lacking a bit of match fitness. Like I say, he\u2019ll be ready to go next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if Gilchrist and Young would also be ready to go next week, Everitt said: \u201cWe\u2019re hoping so. Once again, it just depends how Gilco comes along this week. He\u2019ll be going for another scan today just to see where he\u2019s at with that hamstring of his. But we should certainly have Glen Young back next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everitt has made just one change to his starting line-up from Edinburgh\u2019s last outing, the home win over Ulster that finally booked their place in the play-offs, bringing Jamie Ritchie<\/strong> into the back row in place of Ben Muncaster<\/strong>, who drops to the bench. Liam McConnell<\/strong> is also among the replacements on a 5-3 bench which, with Charlie Shiel<\/strong> and Ben Vellacott<\/strong> out, sees Conor McAlpine<\/strong> named as back-up scrum-half to Ali Price<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting for them,\u201d Everitt said of McConnell and McAlpine, who have made just four appearances between them to date. \u201cYou know, sometimes you\u2019ve got to wait the whole season to get an opportunity, and it happens to be in a quarter-final at Loftus. So it\u2019s a great experience for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is certainly going to be a game that they\u2019ll remember for a lifetime. They\u2019ve worked really hard on their game and every time Conor\u2019s played for the \u2018A\u2019 team, he\u2019s really been a standout.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know Liam\u2019s a fierce competitor and has an incredible work rate, and he\u2019s got a competitive spirit as well. It\u2019ll be great to see what he can do tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edinburgh beat the Bulls just a few weeks ago, but that was at the Hive in the Challenge Cup, and Everitt knows that tomorrow\u2019s opponents will be a very different proposition at home in the league. The last time his team visited Loftus, in the early rounds of the URC, they lost 22-16.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s a massive test for us. We didn\u2019t travel well in the beginning of the URC, but we\u2019ve hit some form of late. We played the Bulls a few weeks ago and got the win, so we\u2019ll take a lot of confidence out of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s still a massive challenge at Loftus where the Bulls are very difficult to beat. We\u2019ve just got to make sure that we\u2019re accurate in how we execute, whether it be with the ball or without the ball. And discipline will be key.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, we stayed in the fight at Loftus and unfortunately turned the ball over when we went over the line, and that would have probably given us the win. We know that at Loftus they are a little bit more expansive and braver in their style of play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edinburgh (v the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, Saturday 12.30pm UK time):<\/strong> W Goosen; D Graham, M Currie, J Lang, H Paterson; R Thompson, A Price; P Schoeman, E Ashman, D Rae, M Sykes, S Skinner, J Ritchie, H Watson, M Bradbury (captain). Replacements: P Harrison, B Venter, J Sebastian, L McConnell, B Muncaster, C McAlpine, B Healy,\u2060 \u2060M Bennett.<\/p>\n

Unavailable:<\/strong>\u00a0Emiliano Boffelli (hamstring), Connor Boyle (knee), Robert Carmichael (wrist), Dave Cherry (knee), Luke Crosbie (pec), Grant Gilchrist (hamstring), Jamie Hodgson (tricep), Paul Hill (back), Duhan van der Merwe (ankle), Matt Scott (neck), Charlie Shiel (kidney), Mosese Tuipulotu (knee), Ben Vellacott (foot), Glen Young (personal).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bulls: <\/strong>W le Roux; C Moodie, D Kriel, H Vorster, S de Klerk, K Johannes, E Papier, J-H Wessels, J Grobbelaar, W Louw, C Wiese, J F van Heerden, M Coetzee, R Nortje (captain), C Hanekom. Replacements:\u00a0<\/b>A van der Merwe, S Matanzima, M Smith, J Kirsten, M van Staden, Z Burger, S Gans, D Williams.<\/p>\n

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