Steyn grabs four tries as Scotland demolish Tonga at Murrayfield
SCOTLAND 60
TONGA 14
SCOTLAND rattled up 10 tries against Tonga in Edinburgh but it’s at the other end of the M8 that we can expect a feast of five-pointers.
Glasgow wingers Kyle Steyn and Rufus Mclean ran in six tries between them, the former’s four – the first man to do so in a darkblue jersey since Gavin Hastings way back in 1995 in a World Cup match against Cote d’ivoire – earning him the Man of the Match award.
Coach Gregor Townsend said: “We energised the crowd with the way we played. We aim to play at real speed and I thought both wings were very good today.”
Mclean – the first Scotland rugby cap born in the 21st Century – must have thought this Test rugby lark was a doddle as he’d racked up his brace just 15 minutes in to his international career.
His dancing feet lit up BT Murrayfield for the hour he was on the pitch though his afternoon came to an unfortunate and early end after an hour when he was led gingerly from the field after being taken out dangerously in
mid-air by Aisea Halo, the Tongan rightfully earning a yellow card.
After that it was mostly the Steyn Show as the South Africaborn showed the finishing he’s honed on the Sevens circuit, his stoppage- time try making him the first- ever Scotland player to score four tries at Murrayfield.
Scotland’s other tries were close- range efforts from Pierre Schoeman – one of eight making their dark- blue debut yesterday, half of whom started – Nick Haining and Oli Kebble while hooker George Turner finished off a driven lineout maul.
To be honest, though, this was basically a scratch Tonga team as Covid meant they were denied their New Zealand-based players and as this was outside the Test window they couldn’t call on their England-based ones, either.
They were also without their coach Toutai Kefu who was badly injured during a brutal home invasion at his house in Brisbane.
This meant they were even more unstructured than usual having cobbled together a squad
that saw former heavyweight boxer Loni “the Tongan Bear” Uhili make his debut at loosehead prop aged 32, one of eight uncapped players in their matchday squad.
They battled throughout, though, and actually enjoyed the upper hand for a spell midway through the second half when their one spell of sustained pressure on the Scots line saw David Lolohea burrow over for Tonga’s only try, adding to full-back James Faiva’s three first-half penalties.
This came when they had a man advantage, Rob Harley having earned a team yellow for the latest in a string of offences as Scotland defended their line.
The result was never in doubt, with Scotland 36- 9 up at halftime, and some of the new faces did their chances no harm at all.
Sione Tuipulotu, who could have played for either team yesterday as he has a Tongan dad and a granny from Greenock, was solid in the centre and made some hard carries.
Apart from blooding these players, it’s difficult to see what the coach learned from yesterday’s proceedings.
Playing Blair Kinghorn at stand- off after 25 caps at wing or full-back has all the hallmarks of a trademark “Toony” wheeze and while he looked comfortable and brought his outside backs into the game throughout, he was being put under no pressure by Tonga at all meaning the Scots could attack off first phase ball.
But his kicking from the tee was wayward and while missing four of seven conversion attempts meant nothing yesterday, in a closer game against better opposition it could be crucial.
Kinghorn reverted to a more familiar full- back role for the last 20 minutes, letting Townsend have a look at Ross Thompson at 10, the young Glasgow playmaker notching his first Test points when he converted Scotland’s last two tries.
Scotland – Graham ( Thompson 61); Steyn, Tuipulotu, Johnson, Mclean ( Sykes 64); Kinghorn, Price ( co- capt.) ( Dobie 58); Schoeman ( Bhatti 54), Turner ( Mcinally 54), Z. Fagerson ( Kebble 54), Hodgson, Harley, Ritchie ( co- capt.), Watson ( Crosbie 41), M. Fagerson (Haining 54).
Tonga – Faiva; Manu, Hingano, Vaea (Halo 51), W. Fifita; Morath (Haisila 75), Takulua ( capt.); Uhila ( Felemi 51), Ngauamo ( Maile 33), Lolohea ( Taufa 73), H. Fifita, Funaki ( Faleafa 70), Halaifonua, Lokotui ( Kafatolu 61), Mapapalangi (Havili 55).