Match Report: Scotland 57-17 Fiji - Scottish Rugby

Scotland kicked off strongly, creating chances right from the start. Just a few minutes into the game, they earned a penalty due to their swift effort in breaking up Fiji's ruck. Adam Hastings expertly placed the ball into the left corner, just before the five-metre line, setting up the first lineout of the match.

Scotland aimed to outsmart the Fijian defense with a play around the blindside in an attempt to score. However, Hastings’ pass was intercepted illegally by Fiji's scrum-half, Lomani, resulting in a yellow card for him. Scotland found themselves right back where they began, facing a lineout, but Fiji’s strong defensive maul proved effective as they seized the ball and kicked it into touch at the 10-meter line.

After Scotland gave away a penalty, they quickly responded by earning one themselves at the scrum. This led to Hastings kicking towards the right corner for a lineout at the 10-meter mark. The maul held strong, and Pierre Schoeman along with Ewan Ashman broke free, with Ashman scoring a try. However, Schoeman was penalized for obstruction, nullifying the try. Scotland got another opportunity to score, and this time, they succeeded by using the maul as a decoy. They found full-back Kyle Rowe, who scored the try. Hastings then took the conversion and successfully kicked it through. [7-0, 10 mins].

Fiji aimed to challenge Scotland by using their physical style of play at every opportunity. However, their lack of self-control led to numerous penalties, which referee Craig Evans repeatedly cautioned them about. By the 13th minute, this absence of discipline led to a yellow card being issued to Vota, the outside-centre, due to the team's repeated rule violations.

With a two-man advantage, Scotland had the perfect opportunity to make their move, and they did just that. Ashman and Darcy Graham linked up in the five-meter area, with Graham racing over the line to score his 25th try for Scotland on his first start since the 2023 Rugby World Cup. What could make that try even more memorable? Well, it also marked the 300th try scored since Gregor Townsend became Head Coach. Hastings converted the kick, making it 14-0 after 16 minutes.

A few minutes later, in true Darcy Graham fashion, the winger scored yet another try. He caught the ball mid-air, tapped it down the field with his foot, then scooped it up to dive over the line. This time, the referees closely reviewed the play to determine if the ball had been grounded before he kicked it, but ultimately deemed the try valid. Although the conversion attempt from a wider angle was unsuccessful, Scotland solidified their lead at 19-0 after 19 minutes.

Just moments after the game resumed, Scotland quickly scored again. Huw Jones showcased his excellent game awareness and speed as he intercepted the ball and surged from the 10-meter line to score a try with flair. Hastings easily converted the kick from right in front of the posts, bringing the score to 24-0 after 21 minutes.

After a strong beginning, Scotland's defense started to come under pressure as Fiji aimed to fight back with Vota back in play. Fiji took advantage of Scotland's mistakes and lack of discipline, quickly finding themselves on Scotland's five-meter line with a lineout. After several phases of play, Scotland was penalized once more, leading to Ashman receiving a yellow card and heading to the sin-bin for failing to support his body weight at the ruck. Seizing the opportunity from the overlap, Fiji spread the ball wide, and full-back Loganimasi scored Fiji's first try of the match. The conversion attempt went astray [26-5, 34 mins].

Scotland quickly increased their score when Fiji was penalized for interference during a box kick. Hastings lined up for a goal and nailed it, giving Scotland an additional three points just before half-time, making the score 29-5 with only a few minutes left in the first half.

When the game resumed, Tom Jordan from the Glasgow Warriors entered the match, taking the place of Kyle Rowe, and this marked his debut cap for Scotland.

Fiji set up a lineout near the five-meter mark, but their maul was brought down. They kept up the pressure against the Scottish defense. Scotland was penalized for a high tackle by Schoeman. Although Scotland had all their players back on the field with Ashman's return, they still couldn't prevent Fiji from scoring another try, this time by Derenalagi. Ravula missed the conversion. [29-10, 40 mins]

Halftime: Scotland leads Fiji 29 to 10.

The beginning of the first half saw a series of exchanges between both teams, but it was Fiji who ultimately gained the upper hand. They capitalized on a penalty given away by Ashman for a high tackle, sending the ball deep into our 22 for a lineout. Executing a set play they had practiced, Ikanivere caught the ball at the front of the line and scored after a clever feint. Ravula successfully converted the try, making the score 29-17 after 50 minutes.

Scotland quickly fired back, and Graham completed his hat-trick. Thanks to some great teamwork between van der Merwe and Huw Jones, Graham found himself with room on the right wing and dashed over to score his third try of the game. Hastings made the conversion look effortless to extend the lead [36-17, 53 mins].

Graham's joy at scoring his 27th try for Scotland was short-lived. Just after the restart, Fiji collected the ball and almost managed to score. Fortunately, debutant Tom Jordan acted swiftly and successfully pushed his opponent out of bounds, preventing the score.

Scottish Gas Murrayfield quickly recovered and celebrated Graham's impressive performance. A smooth passing play between substitute scrum-half Jamie Dobie and Graham near the Fijian five-meter line allowed the winger to power through for his fourth try of the game, tying him with van der Merwe for the title of Scotland's leading try scorer. Hastings successfully converted the try, adding the extra points [43-17, 63 mins].

Even though Fiji was making efforts to turn things around, Scotland shifted into a higher gear, displaying some truly exceptional rugby that led to what many would consider the highlight try of the evening. Captain Sione Tuipulotu made an impressive behind-the-back pass to Adam Hastings, who then executed a similar move. Huw Jones linked up with Duhan van de Merwe, who charged over the line to score Scotland's 29th try, reclaiming their lead in the try count. Hastings successfully converted the kick. [50-17, 72 mins]

After contributing significantly to several tries throughout the game, it seemed that Huw Jones had managed to score yet another try, this time in the left corner. However, upon reviewing the footage on the screens, the officials determined that his action constituted a double movement.

A few minutes later, Jones scored his second try as Hastings delivered a precise cross-field kick into the left corner for him. Hastings successfully converted the try again, bringing the score to [57-17, 79 minutes].

With only a few seconds remaining on the clock, there was still time to resume play. Scotland was determined to maintain possession, and the ball eventually found its way to van de Merwe, who sprinted down the field to score what seemed like the winning try. However, the celebration was short-lived as the officials reviewed the footage and determined that Huw Jones had just barely stepped out of bounds, leading to the disallowance of the try.

Although Duhan's 30th try for Scotland was ruled out, the Scots delivered an impressive performance in their first match of the 2024 Famous Grouse Autumn Nations Series.

Final Score: Scotland 57 – 17 Fiji

Famous Grouse Player of the Match: Darcy Graham (Scotland)