NEW HEROES HIT THE HEIGHTS
Hat-trick for Turner as Ritchie dazzles on his debut
FOR a first hit out on a three-match end of season tour, it was impressive. Seven tries, an unlikely hattrick hero in replacement hooker George Turner and a forwards display, especially in the maul, that was close to faultless.
Yes, you can only play what is in front of you and when it is Canada, that isn’t very much.
But this was a deadly Scotland performance full of life and exuberance that never let the pressure drop.
Even near the end when the game was won, David Denton and Magnus Bradbury, who got one of the seven tries, were still getting through gaps as the team continued to go for more points.
Winning with an inexperienced side meant there was a lot for Gregor Townsend to be happy with as he flew out of Edmonton for Houston to prepare for the next game against the USA.
He would have learned — as Scotland captain Grant Gilchrist predicted earlier in the week — that new cap Jamie Ritchie is a future international skipper.
The Edinburgh flanker was part of the reason Scotland were so dominant up front. He never missed a tackle and was magnificent in open play. A bright future is ahead for him.
The jury is still out on his fellow starting debutant James Lang, if only because the centre had to go off early in the second half with a head-knock. He still had time to set up the opening try for Byron McGuigan with a fine pass out wide.
The two new caps off the bench, Adam Hastings and Lewis Carmichael, who also got a try, equipped themselves well. They will both feature against the USA.
Blair Kinghorn and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, who put over five conversions between them, with the scrum-half also getting a penalty, were equally impressive.
The old boy in the team, Ruaridh Jackson, who also scored a touchdown and was denied another by a dubious TMO decision, showed he still has a lot to give.
Canada hardly threatened, with their only points coming from an early penalty from Shane O’Leary and a penalty try after Jackson was ruled to have stopped a scoring chance and was yellow-carded for doing so.
If the Scotland players were under any illusions that Townsend was not evaluating them in terms of World Cup selection, they would have been left in no doubt after hearing what he had to say after the match.
‘How often do I think about the World Cup squad now?’ said the Scotland head coach. ‘Only all the time.
‘Sometimes names go into my computer and some names go out. We know the numbers we are going to take to the World Cup and we know the kind of combinations.
‘We can’t take four second rows to the World Cup, so we will have to have someone who covers back row in that second-row group.
‘Lewis Carmichael, who can cover second and back rows, did well tonight. That will put pressure on other guys.
‘Getting their names in bold on my computer and being firmly in my thoughts for the World Cup from their performances on this tour should be their target.
‘Over the next three games, we get a chance to see how they work with other people, how they improve and cope on tour and how well they are suited for Test match rugby.
‘There were definitely some players who put their hands up for World Cup selection out there but that is just one game. They have to keep going.’
One of those in the mix has to be hat-trick hero Turner, who Townsend described afterwards as ‘the best tackler in Scotland’, which is massive praise. He came on the tour as third-choice hooker behind Scotland captain Stuart McInally, who missed the Canada game through injury, and his Glasgow Warriors team-mate Fraser Brown.
Turner’s two previous caps, gained soon after Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill allowed him to join Glasgow at the start of last season, had gone very much under the radar.
That changed for good because of events in the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. McInally
should have started at hooker but was ruled out with a calf injury. Brown started in his place but lasted just 30 minutes before having to go off with a rib knock.
The stage was set for Turner to score the first hat-trick by a Scotland player since Ally hogg against Romania back in 2007.
The reaction in the dressing room after his try-scoring exploits?
‘The boys accused me of being selfish for not spreading them around,’ smiled Turner, whose three tries came off driving mauls.
‘Stuart is Scotland captain and Fraser started tonight and is a brilliant player, but I was told I was here for a reason and if I came on I could play myself into the team.’
Scotland face a tougher task next weekend against the USA in the searing heat in houston. More experienced players like Stuart hogg and Peter horne will be available after being rested against Canada.
Look out for the uncapped Glasgow pair of scrum-half George horne and Matt Fagerson coming into the mix.
The USA — unlike Canada — have already qualified for next year’s World Cup and are in Pool C along with england, France, Argentina and Tonga.
When Scotland were beating Canada at the weekend, the USA coasted to a 62-13 win over Russia in Denver, scoring nine tries.
‘They have some really good individuals and they’ve had some good wins,’ said Townsend.
‘They are improving and having a professional league has definitely helped. If you come from an amateur environment, then playing at a higher level will be tougher for you.
‘In the American team, you have Samu Manoa, who plays for Toulon. Greg Peterson is a quality player. AJ MacGinty is one of the best tens in the english Premiership. So they have quality individuals but they can also perform as a team. No disrespect to Canada, this will be a bigger test.’
SCOTLAND: Kinghorn; Jones (Bennett 29), Harris, Lang (Hastings 44), McGuigan; Jackson, Hidalgo-Clyne (Price 50); Dell (Bhatti 50), Brown (Turner 29), Berghan (McCallum 61), Toolis (Carmichael 61), Gilchrist, Bradbury, Ritchie, Denton (Hamilton 68). Referee: Shuhei Kubo (Japan). Attendance: 12,824.