Chiefs duo help Scotland to victory

By Mark Stevens
5/11/22

Exeter Chiefs duo Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray both featured for Scotland as they laboured to a 28-12 victory over Fiji at BT Murrayfield.

George Turner, Adam Hastings, Duhan van der Merwe and Ben White dotted down for the hosts with Adam Hastings adding two conversions and his replacement Blair Kinghorn contributing the other pair.

Fiji's points all came in an impressive first-half showing, from Setariki Tuicuvu and debutant lock Ratu Leone Rotuisolia, with a solitary conversion from Vilimoni Botitu.

Scotland's superior organisation and fitness proved decisive but they had to weather an early onslaught that suggested with more preparation Fiji might have come closer to an upset.

Scotland got off to a dominant start and scored their first try within seven minutes as the forwards drove hooker Turner over from a line-out maul.

Fiji were already down to 14 after Rotuisolia had earned a yellow card within 90 seconds of the start and the advantage allowed the Scottish pack an easy push over.

But Fiji then took command to the consternation of the home crowd and scored two tries in quick succession with a mix of physical power and impressive ball handling.

Winger Tuicuvu went over in the corner in the 14th minute before Rotuisolia drove over from right on the line nine minutes later as Fiji battered the gain line, breaking tackles and putting Scotland on the backfoot.

The tries handed the Pacific islanders a massive dollop of confidence and they continued to hammer away at the Scottish defence, going close to two more tries but were let down by basic mistakes at vital moments.

That ultimately proved costly as Scotland fly-half Hastings slipped a tackle to pop over for a try on the stroke of half-time for a 14-12 lead.

A long skip pass from Chris Harris set winger Van der Merwe over soon after the break, allowing Scotland to go nine points clear after the conversion went over.

Replacement scrum-half White was then quick to see a wide gap in the defence and burst over from the base of the scrum seven minutes from the end of the Test, with Fiji's resistance broken.

Scotland's victory followed last weekend's disappointment when they missed a last-gasp penalty and went down 16-15 to Australia.

They host New Zealand at Murrayfield next Sunday, while Fiji play Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.