Calcutta Cups are not about how you start, but how you finish. And in Duhan van der Merwe, Scotland have one of the best finishers around.
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Fifteen minutes in to the 142nd renewal of rugby’s oldest rivalry, Scotland looked at risk of letting the occasion get to them.
Passes went astray, high balls were claimed by unchallenged white shirts and a determined England moved 10 points in front, George Furbank marking his return to the starting XV with a well-worked early try.
Scotland needed a spark, a moment of inspiration to bring a flat crowd back to life. They got two in quick succession, with their unstoppable wing at the heart of both.
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His first try owed much to Huw Jones, the centre making the hard yards and keeping his composure after being tackled to locate Van der Merwe, who did the rest.
Jones also provided the assist for his second 10 minutes later but on this occasion, it was a one-man show.
Receiving possession on the halfway line, Van der Merwe began with a deft piece of footwork to get around Ben Earl and slammed on the afterburners. Much is made of his size and strength but this was an exhibition of pure speed.
Having scored once against England in 2021 and twice in 2023, perhaps it was only natural he would go on to complete his treble in the second period.
He did so with the most routine finish of the three, Finn Russell’s kick bouncing perfectly into his path, to become the first Scotland player to score a Calcutta Cup hat-trick.
Van der Merwe becoming Scotland’s all-time leading try-scorer is surely now a matter of when not if, with Stuart Hogg now just one clear at the summit.
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