Scotland player ratings: Hat-trick hero Duhan van der Merwe breaks England hearts… again

Dylan Coetzee
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Scotland's Duhan Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe.van der Merwe after a win against England.

Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe.

Following Scotland’s 30-21 win over Scotland at Murrayfield, here are our player ratings for the victorious side.

Scotland player ratings v England

15 Blair Kinghorn: Looking so confident since his move to Toulouse and showed that again this evening as he put in another neat shift as part of an inspired Scotland performance. Adds lovely balance to the back-three. 6

14 Kyle Steyn: The wing is such a clever player and always looks to use the ball well whether that’s searching for space himself or running towards support. He managed seven tackles whilst beating two defenders in his seven runs. 6

13 Huw Jones: Just classy. The centre was absolutely brilliant as he almost always is against England and notched up two try assists in a sparkling performance. He almost made nine tackles in a mammoth showing. 8

12 Sione Tuipulotu: Once again combined well with Jones in the centres as he ran hard, played clever passes and made his hits on defence. Went off around half-time with an injury after a great first 40. N/A

11 Duhan van der Merwe: Simply blockbuster! The giant wing loves to score tries against England so much that he decided to grab three on the night. He was outstanding and when he is in that kind of running mood there are few better in the world. The late yellow card robs him of a perfect rating. 9

10 Finn Russell: The master, the magician and now the leader. The captain’s armband, shared or not, looks really good on the fly-half who showed that he can not only create tries with sensational cross kicks but also manage the game towards the end, keeping Scotland in the right areas. Throw in six from six off the tee and there is a blockbuster effort. 8

9 Ben White: The scrum-half operates so well in tandem with Russell as a pair. They control the pace of the game so well whilst also managing where the team plays with their kicking games. Another solid shift from White in this one. 7

Planet Rugby player ratings key 10 - Career defining performance 9 - Outright blockbuster effort 8 - Significantly influenced the result of the game 7 - Committed and effective outing 6 - Flashes of brilliance outside of executing fundamentals 5 - Fulfilling the role required by position (base level) 4 - Poor execution of fundamentals 3 - Costly errors and/or discipline in the game 2 - Poor performance that directly impacted the result 1 - Grossly ineffective throughout 0 - Should have carried water instead

Planet Rugby’s player ratings key.

8 Jack Dempsey: Made a very important turnover to kill England’s momentum late in the game as the visitors pushed for a comeback. On defence, he was everywhere, making 14 tackles as he was one of the hard workers the performance was built on. 7

7 Rory Darge: Much like Russell, the flank looks to be relishing the leadership role he has been handed. Led by example with 15 tackles and five carries in the evening. 7

6 Jamie Ritchie: The quieter of the back-row stars but still managed his fundamentals well as part of a busy pack. Would probably like to get more stuck in next time around but an adequate outing. 5

5 Scott Cummings: Work rate, work rate and work rate. The lock put in a mammoth 15 tackles and six carries as he ground out in the tight. A key element to a brilliant pack performance. 7

4 Grant Gilchrist: Not quite as busy as Cummings but flawless on defence, missing no tackles and operating well throughout whilst maintaining his discipline. 6

3 Zander Fagerson: A mixed scrummaging effort but certainly one with enough positives whilst also keeping busy on defence. The tighthead was part of the foundation laid for the backline to run off. 6

2 George Turner: Busy in the carry as he always is and made good metres in the process. He was good enough in his lineout throwing and kept his nerve on defence. 6

1 Pierre Schoeman: Lost out to England’s Dan Cole in the scrum at times but made up for it with his defensive effort that included 12 tackles showcasing his mobility in open play. 6

Replacements: The headline for the group was definitely centre Cam Redpath, who took his chance with both hands in an electric second-half cameo. Meanwhile, Elliot Millar-Mills and Andy Christie racked up some decent tackle counts. 7

READ MORE: Duhan van der Merwe hat-trick fires Scotland to Calcutta Cup glory against England in Six Nations

England Duhan van der Merwe

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