The maverick geniuses are in town, bringing high tempo, offloading rugby and playing the game with a smile on their faces. Oh and Fiji will be at Murrayfield as well…This could be the most entertaining Test fixture taking place anywhere in Europe during November. Here’s how the sides match up:
Tale of the tape
BACKS
61 Tries 43
305 Total caps 115
0 Test debuts 1
29.1 Average age 27.0
FORWARDS
870kg Pack weight 931kg
141 Total caps 221
1 Test debuts 0
26.6 Average age 29.7
SUBSTITUTES
104 Total caps 42
0 Test debuts 1
26.6 Average age 26.9
9 Scotland changes from last Test (v Wales)
- 15 – Hogg for Kinghorn [+]
- 12/13 – P. Horne for H. Jones with Dunbar moving from 12 to 13 [-]
- 11 – Maitland for L. Jones [+]
- 10 – Russell for Hastings [+]
- 9 – Laidlaw for Price [+]
- 2 – Brown for McInally [=]
- 4 – Skinner for Toolis [-]
- 5 – Gilchrist for J. Gray [-]
- 6/7/8 – M. Fagerson for Watson with Wilson to 6 and Ritchie to 7 [-]
15 Setareki Tuicuvu
14 Metui Talebula
13 Semi Radrada
12 Jale Vatubua
11 Vereniki Goneva
10 Ben Volavola
9 Frank Lomani
ADV Scotland
ADV Scotland
ADV Fiji
EVEN
EVEN
ADV Scotland
ADV Scotland
15 Stuart Hogg
14 Tommy Seymour
13 Alex Dunbar
12 Peter Horne
11 Sean Maitland
10 Finn Russell
9 Greig Laidlaw (c)
1 Campese Ma’afu
2 Sam Matavesi
3 Manasa Saulo
4 Tevita Cavubati
5 Leone Nakarawa
6 D. Waqaniburotu (c)
7 Peceli Yato
8 Viliame Mata
ADV Fiji
ADV Scotland
ADV Scotland
ADV Fiji
ADV Fiji
ADV Scotland
ADV Fiji
ADV Fiji
1 Allan Dell
2 Fraser Brown
3 Willem Nel
4 Sam Skinner
5 Grant Gilchrist
6 Ryan Wilson
7 Jamie Ritchie
8 Matt Fagerson
16 Mesulame Dolokoto
17 Eroni Mawi
18 Kalivate Tawake
19 Albert Tuisue
20 Semi Kunatani
21 Henry Seniloli
22 Alivereti Veitokani
23 Eroni Vasiteri
ADV Scotland
ADV Scotland
ADV Scotland
ADV Scotland
EVEN
ADV Scotland
ADV Scotland
ADV Scotland
16 Stuart McInally
17 Alex Allan
18 Simon Berghan
19 Jonny Gray
20 Josh Strauss
21 George Horne
22 Adam Hastings
23 Chris Harris
Overall
Backs – advantage Scotland
There’s a very interesting battle at 10 with Finn Russell taking on his Racing 92 teammate and understudy, Ben Volavola. They should certainly know each other’s games well but for Volavola there’s the same issue that Scotland will face against some of the Fijian superstars – just because you have an idea of what’s coming doesn’t mean you can stop it!
For all the flair on show defensive solidity will remain crucial. As mentioned in Part 1 of the preview the Scottish backline struggled to contain Fiji the last time these sides clashed. It’s worth noting though that the Fijians had their own mishaps in this area during their most recent outing – a surprise defeat at home at the hands of Tonga. Half-backs Lomani and Volavola were particularly culpable, missing nearly 50% of their tackles (8 out of 17 attempted).
Forwards – advantage Fiji
The Fijian pack is a blend of sublime and rather more prosaic talents. Nakarawa, Yato and Mata might grace most Test teams in the world but some of their supporting cast are playing second division rugby. Scotland’s forwards are of a much more consistent standard (although none of them are at the level of Nakarawa). The home side must win their battles as a unit on Saturday if an upset is to be avoided.
Lineouts will be keenly contested with all 3 of the Fijian back row enjoying a height advantage over their Scottish counterparts. In addition 4 of the visitor’s back five in the pack are taller than Scotland’s secondary jumper, Sam Skinner. Chuck in the ridiculous athleticism of Nakarawa for good measure and Fraser Brown and co. may need to mix things up a bit to bamboozle the opposition in order to secure Scotland’s throw.
Subs – advantage Scotland
With a handful of players missing depth is a real issue for the visitors. The presence of the Fijian Drua in the Australian National Rugby Championship for the past two seasons is a first step towards addressing this and getting more players exposure at a higher level. It’s still a big jump to Test match intensity 10,000 miles from home though.
Scotland can call on plenty of experience in the pack and the infectious energy of Hornstings in the backs. As the game develops, Gregor Townsend will have far more options at his disposal than Fiji head coach, John McKee.
Miscellany
– Debut: Sam Skinner. 18th debut and 64th player overall of the Toony Test era.
– Home debuts: Jamie Ritchie; Matt Fagerson; George Horne; Adam Hastings.
– The Fiji squad come from a disparate array of clubs and domestic competitions. They have 11 players from top tier leagues with the remaining 12 plying their trade in the 2nd rung of English, French or Australian rugby:
- 4 – Premiership
- 1 – PRO14
- 6 – Top 14
- 3 – Championship
- 4 – PRO D2
- 5 – National Rugby Championship
– All of Scotland’s players come from teams in the top European leagues:
- 4 – Premiership
- 17 – PRO14
- 2 – Top 14
– There are only 7 players from each of the matchday 23s who played when these sides last met in 2017. Willem Nel and Peter Horne (12 instead of 10 as he was in that previous game) are the only Scots to start both fixtures.
– Sean Maitland has scored a try on each of his last 3 appearances at Murrayfield for Scotland (v England, France and Australia).
– Peter Horne and Alex Dunbar have started on 23 occasions as a centre combination for Glasgow but this is their first time in the 12 and 13 jerseys together for Scotland.
– This will be the first game for club or country in which Jonny Gray has been named among the substitutes for over 3 ½ years. Hopefully he remembers what to do when warming the bench!
– The place of 7s as a development tool for Scottish rugby has frequently been under the microscope. The kings of the abbreviated form of the game, Fiji, actually only have 7 players in their line-up who have played in the 7s World Series. That’s the same number of Scots with experience of those tournaments who played in last week’s Test match against Wales.