Scotland yesterday revived their Rugby World Cup campaign with a decisive 34-0 win over Samoa in Kobe that saw the Pacific islanders finish a man down.
The bonus point win for Gregor Townsend’s men could prove vital in a tight Pool A that also involves Ireland and hosts Japan.
Victory was all but assured after a burst of 17 points in eight minutes late in the first half left Scotland 20-0 ahead at the interval.
Photo: AP
Scotland wing Sean Maitland and Greig Laidlaw scored tries, both converted by the flyhalf, who also kicked an early penalty, before fullback Stuart Hogg landed Scotland’s first Test-match drop-goal for more than five years with an audacious effort from just inside the halfway line.
Scotland secured the four-try bonus point with two penalty tries.
Ed Fidow as shown a pair of yellow cards that meant the Samoa wing saw red six minutes from time.
“We’re all delighted to get that bonus point. It means we’re still in this World Cup,” Townsend said. “We’ve two games to go, and if we play like we did tonight and improve a couple of aspects, we’re very much in this World Cup.”
Scotland were in desperate need of a victory to have any hope of reaching the quarter-finals after starting the World Cup with a woeful 27-3 loss to Ireland — who were in turn the victims of a shock 19-12 defeat by the hosts that threw Pool A wide open.
The Ireland reverse led Townsend to make wholesale changes, including fielding an entirely new back row against Samoa.
The Pacific islanders were without center Rey Lee-Lo and hooker Motu Matu’u after the pair received three-game bans for shoulder-led hits in a bruising 34-9 win over Russia.
Scotland next face outsiders Russia in Shizuoka on Wednesday next week, with Samoa playing Ireland in Fukuoka three days later.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board and have a look where we went wrong, but you’re only as good as the opposition lets you and we played a very good Scotland side today,” Samoa coach Steve Jackson said.
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