The towering winger crossed the goal line for the 28th time in a 31-19 win over Uruguay to surpass Scotland’s top scorer Stuart Hogg.

The goals he scored in Montevideo may have been some of his easy ones, but he has built a reputation as someone who can terrorise defences with his unique combination of speed and power.

Van der Merwe also has a soft spot for big events: he scored the decisive try in several famous Guinness Six Nations victories.

After making his international debut in late 2020, Van der Merwe made his first start in a Six Nations tournament against reigning champions England.

Scotland had not won at Twickenham since 1983, but history never seemed to bother them, winning 11-6, which was perhaps a compliment to the home side.

Van der Merwe scored the first try of the match, passing three English defenders and slotting the ball home.

That set the tone for a memorable campaign for both Scotland and Van der Merwe, who finished the championship as top try scorer.

He completed a double victory over Italy and did so again in the final, when Scotland dramatically ended their 22-year wait for victory in Paris.

By then he was already regarded as one of the best finishers in the world and was selected for the British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa, despite having made his international debut less than 12 months earlier.

He scored as the Lions beat Japan on home soil at Scotland’s Gas Murrayfield – his first international match in front of a crowd – and then started all three Test matches as the Lions fell just short in their quest for a famous series win over the Springboks.

He continued to go from strength to strength for Scotland and his most famous individual contribution came when he secured another iconic Six Nations victory.

One of Twickenham’s finest efforts, Van der Merwe receiving the ball almost 60 yards out from the line as a line of English defenders converged on him.

He burst through the front line and then used his pace, strength and footwork to beat a total of five men on his way to what he described as the best try of his career.

His stunning solo performance in Round 1 was named Try of the 2023 Championship and International Rugby Players Men’s Try of the Year.

Even better, he scored the winning goal later in the match to give Scotland the Calcutta Cup.

A first Rugby World Cup try against Tonga followed in the autumn, after which Van der Merwe was on fire again in another memorable opening match of the Six Nations competition, scoring the decisive goal as Scotland held off a stunning Welsh comeback to secure their first win in 22 years in Cardiff.

Van der Merwe then became the first Scottish player to score a hat-trick in the Calcutta Cup, as Scotland equalled their best run of victories over old rivals earlier this year with a 30-21 victory.

He had Scotland’s top scorer record firmly in his sights as Gregor Townsend’s team set off on the Americas Tour and he levelled with former team-mate Hogg after just six minutes in a 42-7 win over the USA.

His 28th and record-breaking attempt came on his next appearance, his 41st for Scotland.

He ran home for a try he will remember for a long time, only to be mobbed by his team-mates who seemed keenly aware of the significance of the score. It is highly unlikely that this will be his last.