The towering wing crossed the line for the 28th time in a 31-19 win against Uruguay, taking him clear of Stuart Hogg as Scotland’s scoring supremo.
The headline-making score in Montevideo may have been one of his simpler finishes, but he has developed a reputation for terrorising defences with his unique combination of pace and power.
Van der Merwe also has a penchant for the big occasion, scoring the decisive try in several famous Guinness Six Nations triumphs.
After bursting onto the scene late in 2020 with his maiden international scores, Van der Merwe made his first Six Nations start against defending champions England.
Scotland had not won at Twickenham since 1983 but never once looked burdened by history, powering to an 11-6 victory which arguably flattered their hosts.
Van der Merwe recorded the game’s opening try, muscling his way past three England defenders to dot down.
That set the tone for a memorable campaign for both Scotland and Van der Merwe, who finished the Championship as top try scorer.
He registered a double in an emphatic victory over Italy and did so again in the finale, as Scotland ended a 22-year wait for a win in Paris in dramatic fashion.
By this stage he was already regarded as one of the world's best finishers and was selected for the British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa despite only making his international debut less than 12 months earlier.
He scored as the Lions beat Japan on home turf at Scottish Gas Murrayfield – his first international match in front of crowds – and he then started all three Test matches as the Lions came up just short in their pursuit of a famous series triumph over the Springboks.
He continued to go from strength to strength for Scotland and his most famous individual contribution came in another iconic Six Nations scalp.
One of the great Twickenham tries, Van der Merwe received the ball nearly 60 metres out with a line of advancing England defenders coming towards him.
He skipped through the first line before using pace, power and footwork to see off five men in all on the way to scoring what he described as the best try of his career.
His superb solo effort in Round 1 was named Try of the 2023 Championship and International Rugby Players Men’s Try of the Year.
Even better, he popped up with the match-winner later in the game as Scotland retained the Calcutta Cup.
A first Rugby World Cup try followed against Tonga in the autumn before Van der Merwe was again on song in another memorable Six Nations opener, crossing for the decisive score as Scotland withheld a stunning Wales comeback to earn a first victory in Cardiff in 22 years.
Van der Merwe then became the first Scotland player to score a Calcutta Cup hat-trick as Scotland matched their best-ever winning run over the auld enemy with a 30-21 win earlier this year.
The Scotland scoring record was well and truly in his sights as Gregor Townsend's side jetted off for their Americas Tour and he moved level with former teammate Hogg just six minutes into a 42-7 victory over the USA.
His 28th and record-breaking try followed on his next appearance, his 41st for Scotland.
Dashing home for a try which he will remember for a long time to come, he was mobbed by his teammates who seemed very much aware of the significance of the score. It is very unlikely to be his last.
