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Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scotland reaction to win over the Māori: big learning curve as one player ruled out
Townsend delighted with return of players from long-term injuries Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Gregor Townsend admitted it would have been 'devastating' to lose to the Māori All Blacks given his Scotland side had led the match from the 10th minute in New Zealand. They were 29-12 ahead early in the second half but the hosts - who beat Japan last week - cut the lead to three points and pummelled the Scottish line in the final stages. Townsend's side held on to claim a 29-26 victory and make a winning start to their Pacific tour. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It was the third time they had played the Māori and the first time they had beaten them. Each side scored four tries and three conversions but Adam Hastings' penalty ended up being the difference in a hugely physical contest which saw Scotland lose Ben Muncaster and Gregor Brown to injury. The latter will miss next week's game against Fiji. Scotland's Cameron Henderson wins a lineout against the Maori All Blacks in Whangarei. | SNS Group / SRU Harry Paterson, George Horne and Arron Reed notched first-half tries to put the Scots in the driving seat and Horne scored again in the second half. The Māori's tries came from Sam Nock (after 39 seconds), Isaia Walker-Leawere, Kurt Eklund and Gideon Wrampling. 'The Maori are a quality side and I suppose we decided to put a team out tonight that wasn't as experienced knowing that it'll be a great development and learning experience for them,' said Townsend. 'But we also wanted to win this game and we're so pleased that we did and with how we set that win up in the first half - how clinical we were. And then the pressure around set-piece and our defensive effort at the end saw us through. So, we're really pleased that the tour starts on a positive. Welcome return for long-term injury victims 'The players who haven't played that much for Scotland and players that were coming back from injury were able to be part of a winning side.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Into the latter category came the likes of Ollie Smith, Andy Onyeama-Christie, Cam Henderson and Harry Paterson who have had disrupted seasons at club level. All impressed in Whangārei, and so too did Rory Hutchinson, Reed and Josh Bayliss who have been in and out of the team in recent years. Shirts are laid out by Scotland's Stafford McDowall and Maori All Blacks' Kurt Eklund in memory of former Scotland captain Ian McLauchlan and Maori All Blacks Kaumatua Luke Crawford. | SNS Group / SRU There were also first Scotland appearances for Fin Richardson, Fergus Burke and Alexander Masibaka and the latter was unfortunate to be yellow-carded shortly after coming on. 'The good thing is we found a way to win,' added Townsend. 'I think it was probably beyond expectations - knowing what the Maori did last week in Japan and how strong they've been against touring teams - that we were so far ahead. And we knew that they would come back and they got an opportunity and went through a number of phases, got back into the game and it looked like they had the momentum at the end. Gregor Brown ruled out 'We're delighted because that could easily have ended up with them winning with the pressure they had on us in the 22, and it would have been a really disappointing and devastating to lose at the end having led for so long, so we're so glad we saw it through.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scotland lost Muncaster in the first half and Brown in the second and the pair will now be assessed. 'Ben was a dead leg that just seized up so that'll be one to manage,' said Townsend. 'We travel to Fiji on Sunday so he's probably not going to get that great an opportunity with the flights and travel to recover for Monday, but we'll see how he is when we get back into training Tuesday and Wednesday.
Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scotland injury update: Two ruled out of Samoa game but good news on Fagerson
Tom Jordan fractured a bone in his hand during Scotland's defeat by Fiji in Suva. | SNS Group / SRU Another hugely physical challenge is expected at Eden Park Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Tom Jordan and Jamie Ritchie have been ruled out of Scotland's final tour match against Samoa after being injured in the bruising defeat by Fiji. Jordan, who played the full 80 minutes, later discovered he had fractured a bone in his hand. Ritchie, meanwhile, was forced off after 22 minutes with a foot issue. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Neither will be considered for Friday's game against the Samoans which is being played in Auckland, New Zealand. Tom Jordan fractured a bone in his hand during Scotland's defeat by Fiji in Suva. | SNS Group / SRU The better news for head coach Gregor Townsend is that Matt Fagerson has been able to train. The Glasgow Warriors forward hurt his ankle against Fiji which raised concerns given he had just returned after three months out with a serious ankle injury but he will be available for selection for Friday. Played on with broken hand 'Jamie, unfortunately, he's hurt his foot,' said Pete Horne, Scotland's assistant coach. 'He's going to be ruled out, which is a shame for him. We've got good news on Matt, he trained today, and is going to be fit, which is great. 'And then another one that's unlucky is Tom Jordan. He had a little bit of pain after the game, and he's such a tough bugger, he doesn't really complain about anything, but he had a bit of swelling in his hand. He went for a scan and an x-ray today, and he's actually got a fracture in his hand. So he's going to be ruled out of this week as well.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ben Muncaster, who suffered a dead leg in the opening tour win over the Maori All Blacks, will be available to face Samoa and Scotland will continue to monitor Gregor Brown as completes his return to play protocols after suffering a concussion in the Maori game. Matt Fagerson, right, is available for the Samoa game. | SNS Group / SRU Scotland will be without Darcy Graham after he was called up by the British and Irish Lions and travelled immediately to Australia but Rory Sutherland and Ewan Ashman will be in the mix to face Samoa. Although the forward pair have also been called up by the Lions they will not link up with Andy Farrell's squad until Sunday. Hammered at the breakdown Horne said Scotland would try to 'right the wrongs' of the 29-14 defeat by Fiji in Suva when they faced Samoa at Eden Park. He expects a similar challenge to the one posed by the Fijians who were worthy winners on Saturday. 'Samoa are always traditionally very physical, that's what they're proud of,' said Horne. 'That's something that's really in their culture and their heritage, if you like. We'll expect another bruising encounter, but I think the boys will definitely be up for it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'A lot of the things that went wrong in the weekend were around the breakdown area, so there's been a big focus on that, especially that last 15 minutes. A lot of the good work that had been done had - not fell apart - but they really hammered us there. They came in hard.
Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
'It's a weird one': Scotland's latest cap ready to head home
Burke has been on song - on and off the pitch Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... There weren't too many positives to take from Scotland's tour loss to Fiji in Suva but the performance of Fergus Burke at stand-off was certainly one of them. The Saracens 10 found himself making a few more tackles than he had anticipated on his Test debut but he acquitted himself well in what was a relentlessly physical encounter. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He was in good voice too, by all accounts, with a rendition of the Fijian gospel tune 'E Da Sa Qaqa' at the post-match dinner to mark his first cap. Fergus Burke made his full Scotland debut against Fiji. | SNS Group / SRU 'I went for a Fijian song so the Fijian community could all join in and help me out,' he said. 'So I think I did about the first line of the song and then let them take over.' Scotland hope to be back on song on Friday when they take on Samoa in the final match of their tour at Eden Park. It is a venue at which the Scots have never won but one that is familiar to New Zealand-born Burke who will have family and friends supporting him in the stands. Burke, who hails from Gisborne on North Island, around 300 miles south-east of Auckland, qualifies for Scotland through his Edinburgh-born grandfather and now finds himself returning home to make his international breakthrough. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Burke: 'Almost like it was meant to be' 'It's a weird one, it's almost like it was meant to be,' he said. 'I was in the Six Nations squad and didn't get a crack so it was almost like this is where I was meant to get my first opportunity so my family could actually be here and things like that. So it is pretty cool and I'm definitely not taking it for granted and soaking it all up.' Defensively sound, with good hands and an eye for putting players into space, Burke impressed against the Fijians on an afternoon when Scotland were second best. He played in Tom Jordan for the Scots' second try but they were on the backfoot for the most of the game. 'I spent a bit more time on defence than I would have liked, and probably ended up making a few more tackles than I would have liked,' said Burke. 'I probably would have liked to spend a bit more time on attack but I guess that's something we can look forward to this week. Fergus Burke was part of Scotland's Six Nations squad. | SNS Group / SRU 'I think we can expect a similar challenge to Fiji and I think for parts of that Fiji game we showed how good we are as a team when we get it right. But when we get our discipline wrong we end up making a lot more tackles than we need to and we're tiring ourselves out against big sides like Fiji and Samoa. So we need to get the discipline side of our game right and that way we can be a bit better.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Burke has played Super Rugby at Eden Park with Crusaders, scoring a try there against the Blues in 2023, and is looking forward to returning to one the sport's most storied venues.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Was Scotland's summer tour a success or failure?
We asked for your views on whether Scotland's summer tour should be regarded as a success or a failure. Here's what some of you said: Abigail: I don't think it can be classed as a success without the win in Fiji. However, I do believe the players on the tour will have learned a lot during their game time. The players built strong cohesion to end the tour and some players really stood out for Scotland selection, which is the ultimate aim. Especially Jamie Dobie, Andy Christie, Fergus Burke, Gregor Brown, Kyle Rowe, Ben Muncaster and Ollie Smith. George: Yes, it was a success because of the amount of first-team players who were missing. They did great against Samoa. Bernard: No, it's been a failure. We couldn't find our game against Fiji and got beat for it. Winning against Samoa isn't getting us into the top-six rankings, which means another group of death in the next World Cup. Gregor Townsend's time is up. Jake: The Fiji game was billed as crucial to our World Cup seeding so the success of the tour can only be judged on this game. We once again showed a complete inability to perform when it really matters; characteristic of Townsend's tenure as head coach. The only way the tour could be judged a success is if the higher-ups at the SRU finally see sense off the back of this fresh failure and remove Townsend. Kev: I'm counting the performance of the Dobie-Burke combination as a success. They looked class against Samoa, with the creative emphasis taken on by Dobie while Burke attacked the line with solid skill. Of course the Fiji result is not ideal, but the exposure of the wider squad to test match rugby is a plus. Christie and Fin Richardson also looked up to speed and offering something to be hopeful for in the future. Stuart: The Scots did their job well against Samoa. Ewan Ashman had a good game, his first for a while. Arron Reed and Rowe connected well, as did Burke in the midfield. Fiji was a disaster but a good look at the talent coming through. Townsend has done well. The players let him down badly last week. Tam: Scotland still lack the killer instinct when they are ahead of teams. It's something which has not been addressed. We are able to fight back great and hold out wins here or there, however there is a lack of cutting edge, especially in second-half performances. Townsend says we showed character. We know we have that within us but it's taking teams to the sword which we lack.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Was Scotland's summer tour a success or failure?
We asked for your views on whether Scotland's summer tour should be regarded as a success or a what some of you said:Abigail: I don't think it can be classed as a success without the win in Fiji. However, I do believe the players on the tour will have learned a lot during their game time. The players built strong cohesion to end the tour and some players really stood out for Scotland selection, which is the ultimate aim. Especially Jamie Dobie, Andy Christie, Fergus Burke, Gregor Brown, Kyle Rowe, Ben Muncaster and Ollie Yes, it was a success because of the amount of first-team players who were missing. They did great against No, it's been a failure. We couldn't find our game against Fiji and got beat for it. Winning against Samoa isn't getting us into the top-six rankings, which means another group of death in the next World Cup. Gregor Townsend's time is The Fiji game was billed as crucial to our World Cup seeding so the success of the tour can only be judged on this game. We once again showed a complete inability to perform when it really matters; characteristic of Townsend's tenure as head coach. The only way the tour could be judged a success is if the higher-ups at the SRU finally see sense off the back of this fresh failure and remove I'm counting the performance of the Dobie-Burke combination as a success. They looked class against Samoa, with the creative emphasis taken on by Dobie while Burke attacked the line with solid skill. Of course the Fiji result is not ideal, but the exposure of the wider squad to test match rugby is a plus. Christie and Fin Richardson also looked up to speed and offering something to be hopeful for in the The Scots did their job well against Samoa. Ewan Ashman had a good game, his first for a while. Arron Reed and Rowe connected well, as did Burke in the midfield. Fiji was a disaster but a good look at the talent coming through. Townsend has done well. The players let him down badly last Scotland still lack the killer instinct when they are ahead of teams. It's something which has not been addressed. We are able to fight back great and hold out wins here or there, however there is a lack of cutting edge, especially in second-half performances. Townsend says we showed character. We know we have that within us but it's taking teams to the sword which we lack.
