Six Nations: Scotland 30-21 England – Duhan van der Merwe made the difference in the Calcutta Cup

When Duhan van der Merwe curled the ball down the left wing for his second attempt for a stunning hat-trick, it completed a Scotland turnaround that had seemed a million miles away just 10 minutes earlier.

With 19 minutes played at Murrayfield, England were in complete control of the Calcutta Cup contest, dominating possession and stifling Scotland with their new-look blitzing defence.

Their 10-0 lead was by no means pleasant.

But two moments of magic from Van der Merwe, created from almost nothing, stunned the visitors and restored momentum towards Scotland on their march to a fourth successive win over England.

“Van der Merwe's second attempt was worth more than just five points,” former England winger Ugo Moni told BBC One. “You need moments of magic and players to stand up, and he did that.

“Not only was it a fantastic end, I don't think England have ever recovered emotionally from that.”

Van der Merwe has a history against England, of course.

In last year's Championship, the Edinburgh man weaved his way through several would-be players to score one of the best tries of all time, before completing a stunning team move to seal a famous away win.

And he delivered the goods against the number one enemy once again, with a first hat-trick by a Scot against England in an individual performance that will go down in the annals of the sport.

He is now just one behind Stuart Hogg as Scotland's all-time leading goalscorer, and it is a question of when, not if, he will climb to the top of that list.

The man himself was humble afterwards, crediting his team-mates with scoring his three goals.

“I can't believe it,” Van der Merwe said. “I have never scored a hat-trick against England, but I have to thank the players for giving me the opportunity.”

“I have to wake up and feel like scoring goals. I think I'm the lucky one to finish those goals. To score my first hat-trick against England is unbelievable.”

This downplays the skill and game awareness that Van der Merwe showed on his way to the try line

For the first time, he veered off his left wing and followed Hugh Jones, who made the initial break from midfield.

After receiving offload from Jones, the South African-born full-back showed great composure in throwing a dummy, clearing off his right foot and landing under pressure from a struggling England defence.

Gregor Townsend referred to this understanding of space. “His first attempt was fantastic, the awareness, everything,” the Scotland coach said.

But the second result was all about Van der Merwe. The acceleration he showed to get the better of Ben Earl, and then the sheer speed to tiptoe down the line, was, as Mooney said, “absolutely world class.”

His third goal was one of predatory instinct – being in the right place at the right time – as he ran towards Finn Russell's kick to score into the corner.

Van der Merwe was beaming before he put the ball on the ground, perhaps aware of what he had just achieved, going where no Scottish player had gone before against England.

On the afternoon, the hosts were not at their best as a team, Van der Merwe producing an outstanding performance in crucial moments.

His clinical finishing was undoubtedly the difference between the two sides.

Former Scotland captain John Barkley said: “We pay tribute to Van der Merwe because he is one of the best players in the game.”

“He is one of the best strikers and wingers in the world,” Mooney agreed.