Guts but no glory as Scotland lose 10-try epic to South Africa in lung-busting effort
Townsend’s side take one bonus point but are denied a second
A frantically entertaining game in which Scotland contributed four tries and a bucketload of guts ended in victory for South Africa who showed their world champion class but were pushed all the way by enterprising visitors.
A single bonus point is all Gregor Townsend’s side will take home from Pretoria after Jesse Kriel’s late try denied them a second bonus point and made the final margin of victory 42-28 to the Springboks.
That was harsh on the Scots but Test-match rugby is an unforgiving environment and South Africa have now beaten Scotland 10 times in a row. Nevertheless, they contributed hugely to this game, the pick of the matches so far in the nascent Nations Championship.
Having beaten Argentina away last week, this was a significant step up but it was a performance which showed Scotland can compete at this level and it also showed their strength in depth. The players who came off the bench were outstanding, with the likes of Max Williamson, Gregor Hiddleston, Josh Bayliss and Magnus Bradbury all turbo-boosting Scotland in the closing stages.
Scotland twice come back from desperate situations
This was a match played at altitude but Townsend’s men were not awed by the thin air on the high veldt. The lung-busting nature of their performance was a testament to the squad’s fitness and attitude. Twice - once in each half - they came back from seemingly desperate situations.
First-half tries from Matt Fagerson and Kyle Rowe saw them go in at the turn level at 14-14. With South Africa down to 14 men early in the second half following Ben-Jason Dixon’s yellow card, they couldn’t press home their advantage. Chances were created but not finished and momentum swung back South Africa’s way. They scored three tries in a 10-minute spell in the mid-point of the second half to surge 35-14 ahead and it looked bleak for Scotland. But they responded magnificently, with tries from Bayliss and Ben White to cut the Boks’ lead to seven points.
Unfortunately, there were to be no more Scottish points and Kriel had the final say. Townsend will be left to reflect on missed chances in the first half and the opening minutes of the second but will surely take heart from the courage his team showed.
Scotland matched South Africa’s intensity in the early skirmishes but they lacked their clinical finishing power, initially at least. A chance went abegging due to Ewan Ashman’s squint lineout throw and later in the half the Scotland hooker knocked on just a couple of yards from the tryline.
Like the incredible hulk
In between those two opportunities South Africa showed their ruthlessness with a couple of cracking tries. Embrose Papier got the first, all speed and brilliant footwork as he picked up the ball at the base of a ruck and danced his way through the Scotland defence. It was the scrum-half’s first Test try and one he will always remember.
The Springboks doubled their lead with a quite breathtaking score from the restart. Cobus Wiese, their giant lock forward, was hoisted high by Boan Venter and plucked the kick-off from the skies. He then rumbled up the pitch like the Incredible Hulk. Scotland’s players were hanging off his 6ft 6in 20-stone frame but still he went on, eventually getting the ball to Paul de Villiers who continued the momentum. This was South African rugby at its very best and Evan Roos was there to finish things off.
Handre Pollard’s conversion meant it was 14-0 after 19 minutes and the game was in danger of slipping away from the visitors. Credit, then, to Scotland because they responded brilliantly.
Sione Tuipulotu got them going, sparking some good phase play and forcing South Africa into conceding a couple of penalties. The knock on by Ashman looked like it had nixed Scottish hopes but, from the subsequent scrum, Scotland won a penalty and Matt Fagerson was able to drive over after a series of pick-and-goes.
The ref missed the try
Pierre Brousset, the French referee, missed the try but a quick check with the TMO confirmed the score was good. Russell converted and even better was to come for Scotland before the interval. They again got their multi-phase game going but were being forced backwards. No problem for Russell. As he ran laterally along the Boks 22 he slipped the ball cutely to Tuipulotu who gave Scotland the go-forward they needed, busting his way through a couple of tackles before offloading to the supporting Rowe who ran in the score.
Russell’s conversion meant Scotland went in at the break level at 14-14 and dreaming of a first ever win in South Africa.
Dixon’s yellow card for a high hit on Scott Cummings early in the second half further boosted Scotland’s hopes and they took up where they left off. Kyle Steyn had a rampaging run down the right and was stopped short and then Scotland were held up on the South African line. But it was a case of close but no cigar and Dixon returned to the fray without any points being conceded.
Restored to their full complement, South Africa took full advantage, scoring three tries in a devastating burst midway through the second half. Elrigh Louw forced his way past Ashman and Cummings and then Damian Willemse finished a smart backs move. Handre Pollard, assured from the tee, converted both and the Boks had now restored their 14-point advantage.
It got worse for the Scots before it got better, with Zach Porthen too powerful for Will Hurd as he forced his way over from close range. Pollard added the extras to make it 35-14 but Scotland hit back immediately. Cummings burst between two South African defenders to set up Bayliss for a stunning score and soon after, Hiddleston went on a mazy of his own to take Scotland back into the red zone. They kept up the pressure and White produced a strong finish with Porthen hanging off him.
Russell nailed the conversion to make it four from four and Scotland had a bonus point and the sniff of something more. Cummings was rampant by this point, rampaging around Loftus Versfeld like a runaway bull. Bradbury came to the fore and Tom Jordan’s audacious cross-kick looked to have put Steyn away down the right only for the winger to drop the ball.
It was to be Scotland’s last chance and Kriel’s try, converted by Quan Horn, sealed the win.
Teams and scorers at Loftus Versfeld
Scorers: South Africa: Tries: Papier, Roos, Louw, Willemse, Porthen, Kriel. Cons: Pollard 5, Horn. Scotland: Tries: M Fagerson, Rowe, Bayliss, White. Cons: Russell 4.
Yellow card: Ben-Jason Dixon (South Africa, 41min)
South Africa: A Fassi; E van der Merwe, J Kriel, D Willemse, E Hooker (H Pollard 45); H Pollard (Q Horn 41), E Papier (G Williams 41); B Venter (J-H Wessels 41), J Grobbelaar (N Mchunu 61), W Louw (Z Porthen), C Wiese (B-J Dixon 32), R Nortje, P de Villiers (V Tshituka 66-73), P-S du Toit, E Roos (E Louw 41).
Scotland: K Rowe; K Steyn, R Hutchinson (S McDowall 63), S Tuipulotu, J Dobie (T Jordan 68); F Russell, B White; P Schoeman (R Sutherland 68), E Ashman (G Hiddleston 58), Z Fagerson (W Hurd 58), G Brown (M Williamson 63), S Cummings, M Fagerson (M Bradbury 58), R Darge (J Bayliss 40), J Dempsey.
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France).
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