Townsend admitted “it most likely wasn’t as free-flowing a sport as we have had on tour” however was filled with reward for Van der Merwe.
“He did not get as many touches, however he completed his strive nicely,” he stated. “We’re all delighted for him and it is a tremendous achievement in such a brief house of time and now he can kick on and rating extra tries sooner or later.”
Either side went into the sport in need of full power, with Scotland fielding a aspect virtually completely made up of Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors gamers, whereas the hosts have been lacking some key performers who’re of their Olympics Sevens squad.
It was Uruguay, smarting from final weekend’s heavy loss to Argentina, who got here out the blocks sooner.
They need to have made early strain inform, however fly-half Etcheverry pushed his penalty broad from an inviting place.
The Scots made them pay virtually instantly, after Ben Healy’s monster kick from his personal 22 took his aspect deep into the house half.
Together with his second contact from the ensuing rolling maul, Ashman dived over and Healy added the extras off the tee.
Uruguay suffered a quickfire triple blow as Juan Bautista Hontou was compelled out of the sport with a knee damage, Diego Arbelo was despatched to the sin bin and Matt Fagerson put flanker Crosbie by way of for Scotland’s second strive.
Healy knocked over a easy conversion and Van der Merwe was quickly touching down within the nook for his record-breaking strive – the winger transferring one forward of Stuart Hogg after simply 41 caps.
A free Healy cross helped Uruguay again into the sport as Alvarez cruised in beneath the posts earlier than Etcheverry went over from shut vary and added his second conversion to make the rating 19-14 on the break.
Diana burrowed over to attract the hosts degree and solely the most recent of a sequence of missed kicks from Etcheverry prevented Uruguay taking a shock lead.
That spurred Scotland into motion and on the again of rolling mauls Harrison, together with his first worldwide strive in his second look, and Schoeman went over and Healy added the conversions to revive their benefit.
That was sufficient to make sure Townsend’s aspect added to earlier tour victories in opposition to Canada, United States and Chile on the finish of an extended season in opposition to a aspect who’ve now misplaced six of their newest seven outings.
Uruguay: I Alvarez, Bautista Hontou, Alonso, Inciarte, Freitas, Etcheverry, S Alvarez, Peculo, Pujadas, Arbelo, Aliaga, Leindekar Virginio, Ardao, Bianchi, Deus.
Replacements: Gini for Bautista Hontou (20). Not Used: Myszka, Sanguinetti, Piussi, Magno, Civetta, Diana, Suarez. Sin Bin: Arbelo (23).
Scotland: Paterson, Rowe, Jones, McDowall, Van Der Merwe, Healy, Horne, Sutherland, Ashman, Sebastian, Williamson, G. Brown, Crosbie, Darge, M. Fagerson.
Replacements: Steyn for Rowe (54), Hastings for Healy (54), Dobie for Horne (62), Schoeman for Sutherland (54), Harrison for Ashman (62), Walker for Sebastian (54), Johnson for G. Brown (69), Ritchie for Crosbie (62).
