Job done as Scotland set up crunch Clash with Irish
Townsend’s men go on the rampage to keep quarter-final dream alive
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work to bounce a tackle and turn a pass which had gone behind him into an attacking opportunity. When the centre was finally closed down, his off-load on the way to the deck found Hamish Watson, who HIS was always going to rolled back the years as he scampbe a formality Scotland ered home. had to get through before Try number t wo came on 16 moving on to nex t minutes, when a set-play from a lineweekend’s showdown out saw Ben Healy loop round against Ireland in Paris, Redpath then send Graham into but there was still a sense of relief space. The winger made good that they managed in such emphatic ground before sending Ali Price, st yle and with no new i njury running a classic scrum-half support concerns to key players. line, under the posts.
Darcy Graham scored four tries to Price, of course, is another former take his international total to 24, stalwart – one of four British and drawing level with Tony Stanger and Irish Lions who has dropped down Ian Smith in second place in Scotthe pecking order during the last land’s all- time try scoring table, year and a bit. Coach Gregor three behind record holder Stuart Townsend was getting exactly the Hogg. reaction he would have been hoping
Scotland dominated f for.romthe start, but some inaccuracies during Having made one try, Graham the first five minutes – which secured a score for himself five included a scrappy line-out, a couple minutes later, with Price returning of forced passes which did not come the favour by breaking right then off and a missed penalty to the popping back inside to send the corner – meant that they did not winger through a gap and on to a make it count on the scoreboard 50-metre sprint to the line. until the eighth minute. It looked for all the world like
When that opening score came, it Ollie Smith was going in for the was a beauty, with Cam Redpath bonus point try just before the half showing strength and great foot- hour when he hit a great line off
TPrice’s flat pass, but the winger could not quite gather, and Romania showed their pluck by countering off the loose back f rom behind their own line to get as far as halfway.
Romania lost hooker Robert Irimescu to the sin-bin for a high hit on Healy and blindside flanker Florian Rosu for collapsing the maul on 30 and 32 minutes respectively, and in between times the TMO ruled that Jamie Bhatti had been stopped short of the try-line.
It took Scotland a while to capitalise on the two-man advantage – not helped by conceding a scrum penalty for collapsing five yards from the Romania line – before a long passage of continuity play eventually saw Graham streaking home.
Next on the scoresheet was Matt Fagerson, bustling over from close range after Smith recycled despite being clobbered with a high hit by opposite number Marius Simionescu, which saw the Romanian fullback become the third member of his team to be sent to the sin-bin inside 10 minutes.
Romania desperately needed the half-time whistle, but they were told they had to restart by referee Wayne Barnes, and Scotland immediately piled further misery on to the bedraggled Eastern Europeans, moving possession to Chris Harris straight from kick-off.
The centre broke from his 22 to past halfway then fed Price on his inside, who quickly sent the ball back the way it had come to send Graham scuttling home for his hat- trick, making it 42- 0 at the break.
Try number eight came after just four minutes of the second half, when Healy sent over a fine crosskick to Redpath, who held off the tackle and then sent Harris over on the left.
Bhatti had a try-scoring opportunity disallowed by the TMO for a second time in the match, this time he lost the ball forward in the act of ground.
Graham clearly had a taste for it, but he was penalised after getting isolated as he scrambled for the line and he was nudged into touch a
short while later as he tried to wriggle over in the corner.
Instead, it was Smith who was next in on the act, scoring off a long weaving run, then Graham showed that he did not have white-line fever by skipping through a couple of passes and feeding Healy, who still had the last man to beat before scoring his first international try under the posts just short of the hour.
To their credit, Romania roused themselves and managed to battle their way to the Scottish line, and Johnny Matthews – off the bench for his international debut – did well to get himself between the ball and the in-goal area turf. The losing team huffed and puffed inside the Scotland 22 for a few minutes more, but that was as close as they got.
Given his astonishing try-scoring record everywhere he has played whilst battling from amateur club rugby to finally make the international stage, it was almost inevitable that Matthews would mark his bow on the big stage with a try – and he did it style, under the posts at the end of sweeping attack featuring Graham and George Horne.
Matthews fed fellow replacement Rory Darge for try number 11, and Horne clipped over the quick dropgoal conversion as the Scots zoned in on eclipsing their World Cup record 89-0 win against Ivory Coast in 1995, and when Graham went in under the sticks with three minutes still to play they got to just five points away, but they could not quite make it.
Scorers, Scotland – Tries: Watson, Price, Graham 4, Fagerson, Harris, Smith, Healy, Matthews, Darge. Cons: Healy 11, Horne. Romania: No scorers.
Scotland: O Smith ( B Kinghorn 58); D Graham, C Harris (H Jones 63), C Redpath, K Steyn; B Healy, A Price (G Horne 54); J Bhatti (R Sutherland 58), E Ashman (J Matthews 58), J Sebastian (W Nel 58), S Skinner, G Gilchrist ( S Cummings 58), L Crosbie, H Watson (R Darge 63), M Fagerson. Romania: M Simionescu; S Lama, J Tomane, F Tangimana (N Onutu 56), T Sikuea; A Conache (T Boldor 52), G Rupanu (F Bardasu 34-38, F Surugiu 61); A Savin (I Hartig 50), R Irimescu (C Burtila 56), G Gajion, A Motoc, ( M Iftimiciuc, 61) S Iancu; F Rosu, D Ser, C Chirica (D Stratila 61).
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) Yellow cards – Romania: Irimescu (30mins), Rosu (32mins), Simionescu (39mins).