Scotland vs Fiji: The Talking Points

Fiji had an impressive Rugby World Cup, but ultimately it was a greatly diminished side that showed up to Scottish Gas Murrayfield for the opening match of Scotland’s Autumn Nations Series last weekend.

With only two pro-teams and relatively few exiles, Scotland are able to weather outside-of-window tests slightly better than Fiji, even with a squad drawn mostly from their own single pro team, the Fijian Drua. It arguably does them a disservice to have to field such a raw side in a fixture like this, with their test stars held back in France or England.

“Huwipulotu” were imperious in the midfield

It was very encouraging to see Scotland’s top-choice centre pairing looking so sharp ahead of the sterner fixtures in the next three weeks.

Given the skipper’s armband for the first time, Sione Tuipulotuo did not disappoint with a typically robust performance. His captaincy style for Glasgow Warriors can best be described as part “lead by example” and part “chirpy scrum half”, with a few WWE gestures to the crowd thrown in.

There wasn’t an opportunity for any try celebrations on Saturday but he led with hard carries, staunch tackling and typically deft touches on the ball that help set up others.

His partner in crime Huw Jones’ early interception try made rugby look very easy and he also popped up in the dying minutes on the end of a cross kick for another try, but his link play was very impressive. Jones is not one of those players who has a “quietly good” game when you forget he’s on the park. Doing “unseen things”; that usually only applies to opensides. On the other hand, when you notice him it usually means he’s stepping up to his considerable talent – and he was very noticeable against Fiji.

Darcy Graham’s high scoring endeavours saw him awarded Player of the Match but two of Fiji’s tries came down his wing channel, including their own hooker Tevita Ikanivere doing to Scotland what Graham and Ashman had done to them in the first half – so for me one of the centres should have taken it for better all round games.

Hooker is a worry

Ewan Ashman only left the pitch because the referee gave him a very ominous threat and Townsend could not afford to risk the man who now seems to be his first-choice hooker. The warning followed one yellow card for a “professional” foul in the first half and a high tackle that in many situations would have seen more than the penalty Craig Evans gave it.

Dylan Richardson looked sharp in his half hour on the pitch, but fluffed a couple of his early lineouts. He’s hugely dynamic (as Ashman can be too) but in terms of the middle of the front row, neither gave a performance that would silence the Jonny Matthews truthers.

With South Africa likely fielding two world-class hookers in their bomb squad, it does make the decision to leave Matthews in Glasgow look very odd indeed.

Competition drives the wingers on

Darcy’s four tries were good enough, but Duhan’s reclamation of the outright Scotland try-scoring record – having seen Graham draw level for a mere minute or two – was a thing of absolute beauty.

Two passes that individually would have been enough to make a try rate as “more than decent” combined to make something spectacular, one from Tuipulotu suddenly popping it back having taken the ball into the traffic, and the next from Adam Hastings behind his body that seemed to go both forwards, backwards and sideways at the same time.

While less meaningful in match terms than the Toony Flip his old man was on the receiving end of, or Finn Russell’s The Pass, this was nonetheless one of the loveliest things thrown by a Scotland standoff in many a year.

Duhan finished it to a roar from the crowd, and the mini-competition brings the best out of the big winger and the wee one in ways that playing for Edinburgh don’t seem to. Duhan will get a further chance to increase his lead this weekend with the news that Graham will not be available to face South Africa, although Kyle Rowe may be.

Discipline and Concentration still a worry

Scotland, as is typical, went to sleep in the middle period of the game after establishing a comfortable lead (that’s maybe less typical), and didn’t score between minutes 20 and 50. With the score 29-17 going into the final half an hour it wasn’t exactly terrifying, but there was a nagging worry at the back of Scottish minds that these lapses are still too common.

Luckily no one told debutant Tom Jordan that test rugby is supposed to be hard, as he came fizzing off the bench with an instant increase of tempo that rediscovered the Murrayfield Roar. When they are running smoothly, that backline from 11-14 is the finest toybox that a standoff could hope for and Jordan clearly relished it.

He also contributed with his trademark physicality putting in a try-saving tackle on Vuate Karawalevu from fullback – he and Hastings seemed to swap between 10 and 15 as needed.

While the backs were standing out and running in tries from everywhere, the pack had a quieter afternoon at the office and only one maul “try” – that was then disallowed because of obstruction by Pierre Schoemann.

Of course such attacks as we saw are not possible without a solid platform – but it is unclear if the big men are ready for the intensity of onslaught South Africa will bring.

Scotland can’t ride their luck as much

Darcy Graham was in lightning-sharp form, but his first two tries resulted in a fair dose of luck. The first saw a forward pass go unnoticed in the build-up play between himself and Ashman, as they picked holes down the blindside.

The second try looked for all intents and purposes like there was a knock-on as Graham attempted to regather Hastings wily cross-kick disguised as a touchfinder. He managed to swing enough of his foot at it to make it look like a grubber attempt and although he missed it with his foot, enough of his leg grazed it to make it a “kick” rather than a “knock on”. He regathered to score.

Would these represent opportunities gone a-begging against stingier teams either of defenders or officials?

Similarly, Schoeman’s obstruction penalty was an error that would be more keenly felt against teams that don’t instantly give you another opportunity to score.

South Africa will represent a far greater challenge, and while the result was overall incredibly positive, there was a massive amount of work to do before the World Champions come to town next weekend.