Van der Merwe breaks O'Driscoll's long-standing record

STAT ATTACK: Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe was one of the best players in the Six Nations this year and the statistics will back that up.

The 25-year-old South African-born star is the tournament’s leading try-scorer this year with five tries. He scored two of those tries in a historic 27-23 win over France in their final game in Paris.

Van der Merwe’s second try in that game was the match-winner in additional time.

Metres made is another area where Van der Merwe impressed. He sits only behind France’s Brice Dulin in that area of the game.

Dulin notched up 489 metres, while Van der Merwe finishes the tournament on 472.

Probably the most impressive stat is defenders beaten.

According to Opta Sports, “Duhan van der Merwe beat 31 defenders in this year’s Six Nations, surpassing Brian O’Driscoll’s record for the most in a single edition of the Six Nations (30), which he set in 2000. Unstoppable.”

31 – Duhan van der Merwe beat 31 defenders in this year’s Six Nations, surpassing Brian O’Driscoll’s record for the most in a single edition of the Six Nations (30), which he set in 2000. Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/Bpt4nqpcKv

— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) March 27, 2021