The Calcutta Cup victory for Scotland was the first at England’s HQ since 1983, with the visitors in control of the low-scoring encounter throughout, thanks to a determined forward display matched with the playmaking of returning Racing 92 fly-half Finn Russell.

It was Russell who slotted over the opening three points for Scotland from the kicking tee, before Edinburgh wing Van der Merwe dealt what would be a telling blow on the half-hour mark.

The 25-year-old was beaten by the bounce for a run-in try a minute before, but made no mistake on the second occasion as Russell started a move that reached Stuart Hogg, Cameron Redpath and George Turner who combined to feed Van der Merwe, who stepped inside and powered over near the left corner.

Russell would head to the sin bin before the break as Owen Farrell cut the gap to two points with a pair of three-pointers but Scotland would hang on in a tense second period, with the fly-half adding another three in the process.

Edinburgh Rugby’s Duhan van der Merwe scored the sole try as Scotland defeated England 11-6 in their Guinness 6 Nations opener at Twickenham.