Edinburgh confirm extent of Duhan van der Merwe injury and what it means for Lions selection

Edinburgh's Duhan van der Merwe receives medical attention after injuring his ankle against the Dragons. | SNS Group

Duhan van der Merwe will be out until May after the results of an MRI scan revealed the full extent of the injury sustained by the Edinburgh winger in Friday’s win over the Dragons.

Scotland’s all-time record try-scorer suffered ankle damage in the early stages of the 38-5 victory at Hive Stadium. Marshall Sykes, the Scotland international lock, was also injured in the match and is not expected to return until the end of May due to a foot problem.

It now remains to be seen whether van der Merwe plays again for Edinburgh this season and the impact this could have on his potential selection for the British & Irish Lions’ tour of Australia in the summer.

Edinburgh's Duhan van der Merwe receives medical attention during the match against the Dragons. | SNS Group

Edinburgh have two scheduled matches next month, against Connacht and Ulster in the United Rugby Championship on May 10 and 16 respectively. Any other fixtures will depend on Edinburgh’s progress in the URC and the EPCR Challenge Cup.

If they finish in the top eight of the URC, they will be involved in the play-offs which are due to begin on May 30-31. If they progress past the last 16 and quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, the semi-finals are scheduled for the first weekend in May.

Andy Farrell, the Lions head coach, is due to name his squad for the three-Test tour on May 8.

Van der Merwe was a key member of the last Lions team, playing in all three Test matches against South Africa in 2021.

Duhan van der Merwe in action for the British and Irish Lions against South Africa in 2021. | Getty Images

The winger’s injury rules him out of Edinburgh’s April fixtures against the Lions in the Challenge Cup and the Sharks and Zebre Parma in the URC.

A short statement released by Edinburgh said: “Van der Merwe (ankle) is expected to return during May. Marshall Sykes (foot) is expected to return before the end of May.”