Scots keep World Cup dream alive with bonus-point win

WORLD RUGBY rules meant the retractable roof had to stay shut – but Scotland had no trouble raising it.

Sean Maitland and Greig Laidlaw crossed in a frenetic first half as Gregor Townsend’s wounded side smelled blood.

Temperatures hitting almost 30 degrees, with the humidity levels nudging 80 per cent too, ensured plenty of sweat.

And the tears? The sight of Stuart Hogg splitting the posts with a mammoth drop goal from 40 yards out ought to have sparked one or two happy ones.

After the shambles against Ireland in Yokohama came the sublime against Samoa in Kobe.

Scotland’s World Cup destiny is back in their own hands as two penalty tries after the break bagged a bonus-point win inside the 30,000-seater Misaki Stadium.

Skipper Stuart McInally said: “It was tough. With the roof closed I was sweating at the start of the warm-up.

“The ball was slippy but it was the same for both teams so it was pleasing we managed to force a few errors from Samoa because of our pressure.

“We had done a bit of work on passive heat strategies and we spent time in Portugal.

“All that helped us keep our fitness up and get the fourth try.

“I was really pleased with the performance as a whole. We spoke about starting the game well and we did that. I was pleased with how we managed the game.

“We didn’t chase anything too early. It was 3-0 for a long time and we just had to keep playing the way we wanted to and were confident we would get tries later.”

That they did, albeit only after their discomfort became clear within minutes of kick-off as the sweat poured down faces.

All the Scots got from the first quarter was a ninth-minute Laidlaw penalty after Melani Matavao was pulled up for a high tackle on Magnus Bradbury.

Frustration could have set in. Finn Russell almost put his team in trouble with a knock-on inside his own 22 while Laidlaw overcooked a pass that even the 6ft 6ins Jonny Gray could not