BROUGHT STRAIGHT BOK DOWN TO EARTH

Scots can’t build on win over Aussies as world champions show their class

SCOTLAND scored two great tries through history-maker Stuart Hogg, who became his country’s joint-top try scorer. Yet, in the end, it was the same old story.

An ill-disciplined performance saw them give away too many penalties. Ultimately, they couldn’t live with a relentless and far more physical South Africa team once they got into their stride.

Just five wins out of 27 previous encounters — the last 11 years ago — showed how tough a task it was going to be in the first place for Scotland to win.

With the South Africans currently world champions, and having picked as many of that team as possible led by their inspirational captain Siya Kolisi to play at BT Murrayfield, the hosts were always going to be underdogs.

Even so, to fall away from a winning first-half position so spectacularly was a damning indictment of how Scotland struggle to put together back-to-back top-class performances.

The win over Australia last week was a cause for celebration but they were brought straight back down to earth by the Springboks.

Scotland did make a decent fist of things, going in ahead 10-8 at the break but overall they should have pushed the world champions a bit more and not for the first time were architects of their own downfall.

Finn Russell missed two kickable penalties and an easy conversion in a very mixed display.

Winger Rufus McLean missed a tackle on Makazole Mapimpi which allowed the winger to score.

Usually reliable players such as Jamie Ritchie gave away silly penalties at the breakdown.

Only Duhan van der Merwe and Hogg from the back division emerged with credit.

The pack tried their best but were bossed for most of the game. No forward emerged with much credit.

There was a poignant moment when former Scotland captain Tom Smith, who is battling cancer, presented the match ball alongside his family which led to a rapturous reception inside the stadium.

When the match started, Scotland’s poor discipline was on show from the off as they gave away five penalties within the first 12 minutes.

They included the first of many at the scrum and two in open play. It was only a clearance kick from Russell from behind his own line after Sam Skinner won the line-out that ended eight minutes of constant Springbok pressure.

Three minutes later, Scotland thought they had won a turnover through Pierre Schoeman but referee Angus Gardner ruled he did not release when he went to ground. Rather than go for goal the Springboks kicked to the corner to keep up the constant pressure.

Scotland escaped through a fantastic run from deep from winger Van der Merwe who sprinted to the halfway line before being brought down illegally by Jesse Kriel.

Back chat from the South Africans saw the penalty being moved ten metres closer and within Russell’s kicking range.

It may have been against the run of play but the fly-half made no mistake with his kick from 35 metres out.

Russell wasn’t so accurate with his next after Willie le Roux was penalised for not rolling away.

Referee Gardner penalised Ritchie for playing the ball on the ground and warned Hogg for the high number of penalties given away in a row by Scotland.

He made clear if it continued one of their players would be sent to the sin-bin before Elton Jantjies levelled the score with the penalty.

South Africa then took the lead in style. Le Roux stepped in as first receiver and gave the impression he was going to kick to the corner.

Instead, from a standing start, he found space and as the ball went along the line Kolisi sucked in winger McLean.

He moved towards Kolisi looking to stop him but when the ball was moved out to winger Mapimpi, he tried and failed with a tackle.

That left the 2019 World Cup winning winger with space up the touchline to run in to score.

Five minutes before the break, Scotland managed to throw off their shackles. A cross-field kick from Russell found Van der Merwe, who fed Skinner. He then passed to Chris Harris, who offloaded to Hogg to score.

The referee checked with the TMO Brett Cronan to ensure Harris didn’t have a foot in touch before he awarded the score. Russell put over the extras.

To make a point at his disgust over the poor display of his front row, South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber took them all off in the last minute of the first half in what was a real public humiliation.

On came hooker Malcolm Marx and props Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch, whose first involvement was giving away a penalty that Russell pulled wide. South Africa made another change at the break with Herschel Jantjies being replaced by Cobus Reinach at scrum-half as the coach tried to revitalise his team.

The Springboks changes made an immediate impact as they went ahead two and a half minutes after the break. The move started when Kwagga Smith beat Van der Merwe to a high ball. That started a move that ended with a touchdown from Mapimpi who gathered the ball in one-hand to run in and score. A penalty from Elton Jantjies made it a perfect first five minutes of the second period for the visitors.

Scotland made changes with flanker Hamish Watson coming on for an ineffectual Nick Haining and

Blair Kinghorn replacing McLean on the wing. It made no difference as the Springboks went further ahead with an Elton Jantjies penalty.

It took 20 minutes for Scotland to mount their first real attack of the second half — and it led to a superb try. Rather than kick for goal after a South African infringement, Russell kicked to the corner.

Scotland won Stuart McInally’s pinpoint throw-in before the ball was spread along the line. Van der Merwe was involved in sending a pass to Hogg who still had work to do to run in to score a historic 24th try for his country.

The touchdown equalled the record held by 1925 Grand Slam winner Ian Smith and Tony Stanger, who was part of the 1990 Grand Slam team. His score came on the day that Hogg broke the world record for most Tier One Test starts at full-back.

There was a massive roar when Ewan Ashman, who scored a try on his debut against Australia the previous week, came on to replace McInally as Scotland tried to freshen up the front row in an attempt to salvage the match.

It was time for cool heads with only six points between the teams but unfortunately Zander Fagerson didn’t keep his when he was penalised for not releasing.

Springbok replacement fly-half Handre Pollard put over the penalty in what was Fagerson’s last involvement as he was replaced straight after by Oli Kebble.

With ten minutes left Frans Steyn put over a penalty after Scotland were penalised at the breakdown.

Scotland broke out of defence with six minutes left when a kick to the corner from Russell won them a lineout near the opposition line but Steyn managed to clear after his side won the set-piece.

The final score of the game came from a Pollard penalty which sealed a win that the second-half display from the world champions merited.