Match Report: Scotland 15-32 South Africa - Scottish Rugby

Makazole Mapimpi scored the first try after catching a cross-field kick from Handré Pollard, which came after an advantage was given due to Pierre Schoeman not releasing from a line-out maul quickly enough. Although Pollard couldn't convert the try from the sideline, the world champions were on the scoreboard [0-5, 4 mins].

After the initial onslaught from South Africa, Scotland began to find their footing. Duhan van der Merwe made two significant advances into South African territory, but just as Finn Russell was preparing to take a penalty kick due to the Springboks not releasing the ball at a ruck, Scott Cummings received a yellow card for a neck roll during the previous play.

It was a setback for the home team, but just 15 minutes in, Russell scored Scotland's first points from about 35 meters out after the referee, Christophe Ridley, ruled that South Africa had blocked a chase [3-5, 17 mins]. However, before play resumed, Cummings was shown a yellow card that was later changed to a 20-minute red card, leaving the crowd at Murrayfield perplexed.

It was a closely contested matchup with both teams fighting hard, but when Canan Moodie received a penalty for failing to release the ball, Russell stepped up and kicked an impressive long-range goal, putting Scotland ahead 6-5 after 21 minutes.

Scotland was riding high, possibly fueled by a sense of unfairness, and the audience felt that energy. Each pursuit had purpose, as the 14 players united to take on a heavier adversary. This resulted in a more open match, with Russell's drop goal try in the 27th minute getting easily blocked.

The world champions have a knack for knowing when to apply pressure, and they did just that from an unexpected player. Tighthead prop Thomas du Toit broke through a disorganized line-out, and Pollard successfully kicked the conversion, bringing the score to 6-12 in the 29th minute.

During his 50th appearance, Kwagga Smith made an error by failing to move away at a ruck, which gave Russell the opportunity to score another impressive penalty, bringing the score to 9-12 in the 33rd minute.

South Africa felt the pressure on the scoreboard again as Mapimpi scored his second try, expertly catching a clever chip from Willie Le Roux. Pollard successfully kicked the conversion, bringing the score to 9-19 with just a few minutes left in the first half.

Scotland was eager to score before halftime and seemed to have done so spectacularly when Tom Jordan sliced through the South African defense to set up Ben White for a try. However, the TMO stepped in again — correctly, as it turned out — to point out a previous knock-on by Huw Jones.

The excitement didn’t last long, but as the teams exited the field, the home team had enough motivation to narrow the gap from a 10-point difference.

Halfway through the match: Scotland 9, South Africa 19.

Scotland had to score some points in the second half, and when South Africa committed a foul at a scrum, Russell successfully kicked a fourth penalty, bringing the score down to six points [12-19, 43 minutes].

The Springboks made at least six substitutions shortly after the 46-minute mark, nearly clearing their bench. This led to the game becoming quite disjointed and fragmented, similar to the frequent player changes.

However, Scotland remained determined and didn't give up. If it hadn't been for an incredible defensive move by Eben Etzebeth, who managed to catch Duhan van der Merwe's jersey just as the winger was about to score, the home team could have tied the game.

Mapimpi received a yellow card for a clear offside, which could have led to better results if the line-out hadn't been disrupted. However, the team was starting to regain their confidence. When Russell successfully kicked a fifth penalty goal, the score difference narrowed to just under a try at 15-19 with 20 minutes left in the game.

Once more, South Africa halted the scoring with Pollard's initial penalty after Pieter-Steph du Toit was unfairly pulled down during a line-out [15-22, 65 minutes]. The skilled fly-half then added another penalty as the Springboks aimed to control the pace of the match [15-25, 74 minutes].

South Africa had the opportunity to enhance their victory when Jasper Wiese scored in the last minute of the game, and Pollard added the extra points with another successful conversion [15-32, 80 mins].

Complete Match: Scotland 15 - South Africa 32

**Scotland's Squad Overview**: The team includes several players from various clubs, such as Tom Jordan and Huw Jones from Glasgow Warriors, and Blair Kinghorn from Toulouse. Sione Tuipulotu serves as the captain, while Duhan van der Merwe represents Edinburgh Rugby. The squad also features Finn Russell (Bath Rugby) and Ben White (Toulon), along with Pierre Schoeman and Ewan Ashman from Edinburgh Rugby, and Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors). Other notable names include Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, and Jack Dempsey—all from Glasgow Warriors. **Substitutions**: In the 61st minute, Dylan Richardson replaced Ashman, and Rory Sutherland took Schoeman's place, also at 61 minutes. Elliot Millar-Mills substituted for Zander Fagerson in the 65th minute, while Max Williamson stepped in for a red card replacement in the 31st minute. Josh Bayliss joined the game for Dempsey in the 64th minute, and Jamie Ritchie replaced Darge also at 61 minutes. Jamie Dobie came on for Ben White in the 68th minute, and Stafford McDowall substituted for Tom Jordan in the 72nd minute, with both Dobie and McDowall representing Glasgow Warriors.

South Africa's squad includes Willie Le Roux, Canan Moodie, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, and Makazole Mapimpi from the Sharks, as well as Handré Pollard from Leicester Tigers and Jaden Hendrikse from the Sharks. The Sharks also feature Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Eben Etzebeth (who serves as the captain), Franco Mostert (from Honda Heat), Marco van Staden, Elright Louw, and Kwagga Smith from Shizuoka Blue Revs.

Substitutions: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Vincent Koch (Sharks), RG Snyman (Leinster), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Jasper Wiese (Uruyasu D-Rocks), Grant Williams (Sharks).

Official: Christophe Ridley (England)

Assistant referees: Luke Pearce from England and Craig Evans from Wales.

TMO: Iain Tempest (England)

FPRO: Tual Trainini (FRA) Please let me know if you need more changes or adjustments!

Player of the Match: Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)