mobanmarketEdinburgh forwards coach Stevie Lawrie says wing Duhan van der Merwe has settled well in his return to the United Rugby Championship club.
Van der Merwe made the move back to his old side after Premiership team Worcester Warriors were suspended after financial troubles and mismanagement.
Lawrie said the Scotland international is looking sharp and has energised the squad with his arrival and builds competition in their back three.
“Duhan’s looking magic,” Lawrie told the media. “The boys are energised to have him and we’ve already had some comedy moments from him in a couple of meetings.
“He’s been referencing his super strength! he’s brought a bit of energy and a bit of fun.
Competition
“It’s great to have Duhan back in with the group. It creates a lot of competition within the back three but also, he brings his own energy and his own vibe. The boys really like him. I’m excited for him to be in the mix for selection this week.”
Lawrie sees the robust winger slotting into the style of play seamlessly and looks forward to seeing his powerful running in the free-flowing Edinburgh backline.
“He played for Cockers here before, went to Worcester to play for Steve Diamond and now he’s back here to play for Mike. And he played for Mike before at Scotland,” said the coach.
“But I see Duhan slotting in just fine. I think he’ll enjoy the shapes that we’re running and how we can get him on the ball. He’s a devastating runner.
“At Worcester he was one of the top line-breaking wingers in world rugby. His stats are very impressive. I think he’ll go well under Mike and Mike will enjoy thinking of ways to get him on the ball.”
Lawrie also praised hot-stepping wing Darcy Graham, who has six tries in four games, including a hat-trick against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
“How good was the wee man [Darcy] at the weekend?” continued Lawrie.
“He could beat a man in a phone box. He was brilliant. He’s on form just now. And there’s quite a nice balance there in terms of individuals.
“Whoever’s in the back three knows they need to perform. And from a coach’s perspective that’s a positive place to be.”
Closing out games
Edinburgh were edged out by the Lions 22-19 in a thrilling clash at the DAM Health Stadium last weekend, and the focus is now closing out the games where there is a chance to win.
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“I think we’ve played some tough teams, for sure, but we’ve also reflected on how ruthless we can be. Mike’s spoken about it – what we’re controlling, and how we’re going to get ourselves over the line in these tight games,” added Lawrie.
“Because we had opportunities to win that game at the weekend, probably similar to Bulls away, and we’ve just fallen short. That’s the straightforward fact.
“We’re probably looking around our contact area and how physical we can be when we’re actually in the opposition finish zone, inside their 22 – how we can be more efficient or more ruthless.
“Last year, Scarlets first game of the season was one that could have gone either way. We were on the right side of that result, now we’ve found ourselves on the wrong side of a couple of results.
“So it’s important this weekend against Benetton that we play with the confidence and belief that’s in the group, but that we’re also just physical, and able to play on top of them when we get into their 22.
“We conceded a number of turnovers, not through overplaying – it was more things like getting stripped or going off our feet – things that we feel were in control of that didn’t quite click at the weekend. So we’ve got a real laser focus on that this week.”