Gregor Townsend believes the fact he can select Test debutant Jaco van der Walt as Scotland's fifth fly-half of the end-of-year campaign is a sign of Scotland’s growing depth. Come November 16, it will be exactly three years since that switch and the 26-year-old South African will thus be qualified to play for Scotland. Edinburgh Rugby’s Jaco van der Walt is set to make his Scotland debut as Gregor Townsend makes six changes for their Autumn Nations Cup finale against Ireland in Dublin. We’ve brought in a young, Scottish-qualified nine who has got a lot about his game, and the mixture of him with the others that we have will be very good for us.” Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. A commendably feisty Glasgow may have been able to go into half-time leading 15-13 courtesy of tries from Peter Horne and Hastings, plus a Hastings penalty, versus two early Van der Walt penalties and a Groom try, but with the penalty count 7-2 in Edinburgh’s favour before the break, the Warriors had expended too much defensive energy. Edinburgh stand-off Jaco van der Walt is now Scotland qualified. Debutant Jaco van der Walt is one of six Scotland changes to face Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup at the weekend as coach Gregor Townsend rung the changes after their home loss to France last month. When the impressive Charlie Shiel skipped past four tacklers to go over from 30 yards out, the best team had triumphed. “I think so,” said scrum-half Nic Groom when asked if Van der Merwe is now good enough to play for Scotland. Before Glasgow won the last three penalties after the match was effectively over, Edinburgh won 14 of the first 19 penalties, allowing them to boss both territory and possession, finishing the game with 65 per cent of the latter. Certainly, his teammates believes he is ready for the next step up. OUT-HALF JACO van der Walt has been named for his Scotland debut against Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup third-place play-off on Saturday in Dublin [KO 2.15pm, RTÉ/Channel 4]. Find out more, Edinburgh's Duhan van der Merwe (left) attempts to palm off Glasgow Warriors Tommy Seymour, Edinburgh's Jaco van der Walt (centre) is tackled by Glasgow Warriors' Adam Hastings (right) and Ryan Wilson (left), Warren Gatland has earned the right to enjoy coaching the Lions, Louis Rees-Zammit exclusive: 'I couldn't go wild after Lions call-up - it was my parents' wedding anniversary'. Duhan van der Merwe and Jaco van der Walt have recently qualified for Scotland on residency grounds and shone in 30-15 victory over Glasgow. Van der Walt grabbed his first Edinburgh Rugby try in the Challenge Cup victory over Stade Francais in January 2018 and played a pivotal role as the capital side qualified for its first-ever PRO14 Final Series in 2017/18. Picture: Ross MacDonald / SNS “I don’t think many people would argue against that and his form has proved that. Jaco van der Walt named in Scotland team to play Ireland Edinburgh stand-off Jaco van der Walt will make his Scotland debut against Ireland on Saturday. Originally from Randfontein in South Africa, he qualified to play for Scotland through World Rugby’s three-year residency in time to make his international debut in the 31-16 defeat to Ireland in the final match of last year’s Autumn Nations Cup programme, when he scored three penalties and a conversion. A former South Africa age-grade playmaker, van der Walt scored three penalties and a conversion on his first Scotland outing and has played nearly 70 matches for Edinburgh, scoring close to 400 points in the process. By Richard Bath 23 August 2020 • 10:00pm. Scotland assistant coach Mike Blair has no concerns about throwing Jaco Van Der Walt straight into the side for Saturday’s Autumn Nations Cup play-off against Ireland. Van der Walt was rightly named man of the match for the unflashy yet effective way he controlled the tempo and direction of this game from stand-off, a display capped by a faultless 15-point kicking performance which included the long-range penalty that put Edinburgh out of sight with 15 minutes remaining. 03-12-2020 18:15. in Rugby. Jaco van der Walt to make Scotland debut in Ireland clash South African-born Jaco van der Walt has been training with the team over the last month but only qualified this week on … Duhan van der Merwe and Jaco van der Walt have recently qualified for Scotland on residency grounds and shone in 30-15 victory over Glasgow. Edinburgh Rugby With Adam Hastings also injured, Scotland were forced to turn to Duncan Weir and newly-qualified South African Jaco van der Walt to steer them through their November matches, with the latter retaining his place in the 35-man squad named for this year’s Six Nations. If the run-up to the resumption of Pro14 hostilities was dominated by discussions about two experimental Glasgow positional selections, the post-mortem has been all about the impact of two of Edinburgh’s legion of South Africa-born players. Lions v South Africa 2021, third Test: What time is kick-off, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction? 2017 to present. As it says in the title, who is eligible for Scotland through residency rules or the grandparents rule etc? Magic touch Van der Merwe was far more quiet and his touches on the ball far fewer, yet he was every bit as influential as his teammate. South African-born flyhalf Jaco van der Walt will make his Scotland debut against Ireland in their Autumn Nations Cup clash in Dublin. Richard Cockerill says former Lions flyhalf Jaco van der Walt has the attributes to make the step up to international rugby when he qualifies for Scotland later this year, writes BRYN PALMER. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Edinburgh stand-off Jaco van der Walt. Lions v Stormers, 2021 tour in South Africa: What time is kick-off, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction? The stand-off will sit out his team’s game against Benetton tomorrow because of swelling on his Achilles, but if Cockerill’s prognosis is correct he should be fit to play for Scotland against Ireland on Sunday 14th. Van der Walt made his international debut in the recent Autumn Nations Cup, starting at stand-off in the third-place play-off defeat to Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, having qualified for Scotland through residency in November 2020. Edinburgh stand-off Jaco van der Walt will go straight into the Scotland team for his first cap in the Autumn Nations Cup finale against Ireland in Dublin. Van der Walt made his international debut in the recent Autumn Nations Cup, starting at fly-half in the third-place play-off defeat to Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, having qualified for Scotland through residency in November 2020. That penalty count was the most important component in Edinburgh’s win. Stand-off Jaco van der Walt signed for Edinburgh Rugby in 2017 and qualified to represent Scotland on residency grounds in 2020, making his debut in the Autumn Nations Cup match against Ireland in Dublin in December. By Graham Bean Both players have recently qualified for Scotland on residency grounds and in front of national coach Gregor Townsend they put in memorable performances in a 30-15 win which gives Edinburgh a home Pro14 semi-final against Ulster at Murrayfield on Sept 5. by Garrin Lambley. “Duhan is available now, Oli is October and Jaco is the middle of November. Read more information about browsers and how to upgrade yours. https://www.scottishrugby.org/squads/scotland-men/jaco-van-der-walt JACO VAN DER WALT should be able to return to action next weekend, according to Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill. Kebble and Van der Walt face stiffer competition, but Townsend is sure that both have also shown they would merit a place in his squad. A fly-half or fullback, he plays for Edinburgh Rugby and represents Scotland after qualifying through the three year residency rule. Van der Merwe was the first to take advantage, putting Groom over shortly before Van der Walt put Edinburgh eight points clear with a thumping long-range penalty from yet another breakdown infringement. There was always an appreciation that the new interpretation of the laws around the breakdown would favour the strong-jackalling flanker, but the way in which Watson dominated that area was still remarkable, and was the platform for Van der Walt and Van Der Merwe’s pyrotechnics. Jaco van der Walt and Duncan Taylor are a new combination at 10 and 12. Edinburgh Scotland assistant coach Mike Blair has no concerns about throwing Jaco Van Der Walt straight into the side for Saturday’s Autumn Nations Cup play-off against Ireland. Van der Walt has ‘improved out of sight’ since joining the Scottish side in November 2017, according to the former England hooker. While Van der Walt, who has Finn Russell and Hastings ahead of him in the Scotland pecking order, may get a cap off the bench during the autumn internationals, Van der Merwe looks bolted on for some sort of involvement. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. Lions v South Africa A, 2021 tour: What time is kick-off, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction. Sign-up for our newsletter today to receive the latest updates, content and releases from Scottish Rugby. If the two Edinburgh backs were the most conspicuously impressive performers, aficianados of the dark arts would argue strongly that the game’s defining figure was Hamish Watson. ️ Scotland international stand-off Jaco van der Walt has today become the latest star to re-sign in the capital. With Adam Hastings also injured, Scotland were forced to turn to Duncan Weir and newly-qualified South African Jaco Van Der Walt to steer them through their November matches, with the latter retaining his place in the 35-man squad named for this year’s Six Nations. The hulking 6ft 4in wing has been something of a nemesis for Glasgow in his time at Murrayfield, and the 25 year-old was at it again on Saturday. DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland captain Jonathan Sexton was recalled for the Autumn Nations Cup playoff on Saturday and will oppose uncapped Scotland flyhalf Jaco van der Walt at Lansdowne Road. Van Der Walt has only been with the squad for a week. The 26-year-old recently qualified for selection on the residency rule, having been in Scotland since 2017. Lions v Sharks, 2021 tour in South Africa: What time is kick-off, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction? Jaco van der Walt (born 1 February 1994) is a South African rugby union player. He’s an incredible player with the ball in hand and my philosophy is that if I just stick close to him then I’m in with a chance – I owe him a lot of beers.”. © Copyright Scottish Rugby Union Limited 2021. In the second half that exertion told, and although Glasgow stayed in the game until the hour mark, when the game inevitably opened up they fell off the pace. Sexton injured his right hamstring taking a goalkick against Wales on Nov. 13 and missed the following group games against England and Georgia. When Edinburgh ran back a missed Huw Jones touchfinder on the hour mark, Van der Merwe rounded Adam Hastings as if he wasn’t there then barrelled into George Horne before delivering a deft one-handed pass to the onrushing Nic Groom for the little scrum-half’s second try, and the defining score of the game. Update your browser to view this website correctly. With Adam Hastings also injured, Scotland were forced to turn to Duncan Weir and newly-qualified South African Jaco Van Der Walt to steer them through their November matches, with the latter retaining his place in the 35-man squad named for this year’s Six Nations. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. He’s a very dangerous player and he has improved immensely through his tenure in Scotland. While the form and impact of Huw Jones, who played his first game for the Warriors at full-back, and Matt Fagerson, who moved from No 8 to openside for the first time, is still of huge interest to Glasgow and Scotland, this match was dominated by the two figures of Duhan van der Merwe and Jaco van der Walt. If Warriors coach Danny Wilson’s experiment of playing Huw Jones at 15 was a qualified success, poor Matt Fagerson, making his first appearance on the openside, was blown away. Make Yahoo Your Homepage Discover something new every day from News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment and more! Van der Walt will not be available for Edinburgh’s next PRO14 match against Ulster next Monday as he prepares to link up with the Scotland squad. The only ones I know of so far are: Duhan van der Merwe (likely to make his debut in October) Olly Kebble Jaco Van der Walt Ben Vellacott Sean Stevenson Will Jordan (though highly unlikely) The 26-year-old recently qualified for selection on the residency rule, having been in Scotland since 2017. Debutant Jaco van der Walt is one of six Scotland changes to face Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup at the weekend as coach Gregor Townsend rung the changes after their home loss to France last month. On recent form, Van der Merwe is above the likes of Tagive and McGuigan in the pecking order. Discover something new every day from News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment and more a new combination at and! 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