Here we all are again, and sure we may as well enjoy these fine, fresh midweek Rugby World Cup matches while we can because the teams involved are now looking ahead to possible knockout fixtures or their in-flight movies on the way home.
At the scene of Ireland’s loss to Japan this morning our focus is on Scotland as they try to continue their bounce back from that opening weekend loss to Ireland.
Kick-off on eir Sport is at 8.15, so you have time to find yourself a screen before Gregor Townsend’s men set about running up a score on the biggest possible minnow.
Wales Fiji is still ahead a little later as a dessert on our three-course midweek rugby treat.
Argentina have already arrived at the end of their 2019 World Cup road after running in seven tries against the USA. Here’s a report from that one.
And here are the teams who will scrap it out in Shizuoka this morning. Gregor Townsend has rung the changes and we’ll surely see plenty of attacking rugby with Adam Hastings and the Hornes in that Scottish back-line.
Scotland
Blair Kinghorn; Tommy Seymour, Duncan Taylor, Pete Horne, Darcy Graham; Adam Hastings, George Horne:
Gordon Reid, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Ben Toolis, John Barclay (Capt), Fraser Brown, Ryan Wilson.
Replacements: Stuart McInally, Simon Berghan, Willem Nel, Grant Gilchrist, Magnus Bradbury, Jamie Ritchie, Henry Pyrgos, Chris Harris
Russia
Vasily Artemyev (capt); German Davydov, Vladimir Ostroushko, Dmitry Gerasimov, Vladislav Sozonov; Ramil Gaisin, Dmitry Perov;
Valery Morozov, Stanislav Selskii; Kirill Gotovtsev, Andrey Ostrikov, Evgeny Elgin, Vitaly Zhivatov, Tagir Gadzhiev, Nikita Vavilin
Replacements: Sergey Chernyshev, Azamat Bitiev, Vladimir Podrezov, Bogdan Fedotko, Andrey Garbuzov, Sergey Ianiushkin, Anton Sychev, Yury Kushnarev
That’s the anthems over and done with. Time for kick-off.
Nice early set of attacking phases for Russia. They rumble through 17 phases before Scotland frustrate them enough to go to the air and the blue back-field deals with the bomb with little fuss.
And they turn the straightforward take on the edge of their 22 into double-figure phase attack of their own.
A nice fluid right to left attack through Darcy Graham brings them to Russia’s third.
But another turnover comes and (deep breath) we’re still playing.
A merciful whistle finally comes from Wayne Barnes with 4.48 on the clock. Will that sapping set of attack and counter show in the latter stages?
I think it took a few minutes for the teams to get some breath back, but Scotland are in the shade and punching holes again thanks to Scott Cummings.
Gerasimov pinged for a high tackle on Graham near halfway and Kinghorn hits for touch.
TRY! Scotland 5 Russia 0 (Hastings ’13)
A clean first try for Scotland off the back of a 15-metre scrum. Horne cuts right with a screen and passes to Hastings who throws a dummy as he cuts inbetween two red shirts.
The Warriors playmaker taps over the conversion too.
Scotland 7 Russia 0
TRY! Scotland 12 Russia 0 (Hastings ’18)
There’s a try to put in the comedic highlight reel.
After a Horne tackle forces a turnover, Scotland attack and Hastings chips over the top, beating Gadzhiev to the loose ball with his boot.
His second touch looks a bit heavy as the ball spins behind the posts and Artemyev glides back to cover. But disaster strikes for the former Blackrock College resident as he slips past the stalling ball to allow Hastings tap down his second try.
Scotland 14 Russia 0
TRY! Scotland 19 Russia 0 (G Horne ’21)
Oh no…
This is getting ugly.
Well, if the second Hastings try had an element of slap-stick to it then this might be Chuckle Brothers-esque.
Russia take in a line-out on their own five metre line and whip the pass towards the 10 for a clearing kick. But the ball never reaches the 10, George Horne shoots in and robs the ball from the air and instantly dots down the try.
Scotland 21 Russia 0
If only Ireland had gotten to play Russia in conditions like this, eh?
Last Thursday the errors pretty much evened out across the teams, but they’re all in red so far in Shizuoka.
Oh, Scotland are having fun now. Hastings directing traffic as blue jerseys flow forward down the right.
They can afford to be a little loose with the ball, you sense it will pay off in the end.
While they’ve gotten two gifts of tries, Scotland still don’t have the bonus point in the bag here and they’re currently just matching Ireland’s scoring rate against the worst side in Pool A.
There’s the nice still of Hastings preparing to pounce for his second try.
HALF-TIME: Scotland 21 Russia 0
We take it all back, Ireland. In torrid conditions, they’ve been just as good as Scotland on a dry track against Russia.
We’re under way then for the second half , though it’s a messy opening to the second 40 as Russia try to defend a maul in Scottish territory.
TRY! Scotland 26 Russia 0 (Horne ’44)
From out of the scrap emerges the platinum-headed gem called Darcy Graham. The wing makes a scything cut in midfield and veers wide of a covering defender.
With plenty of men in support, he doesn’t need to check again and so he offers up George Horne a second try.
That’s the bonus point for Scotland, they’ll go into the final weekend just a point behind Ireland and four behind Japan.
Scotland 28 Russia 0
TRY! Scotland 33 Russia 0 (Turner ’50)
Quite understandably, Russia are fading now in the second half of their fourth game in 19 days.
Turner’s score came on the back of a maul that looked quite comfortable as it rumbled towards the line.
Scotland have a major chance to run up a score now and put a gloss on their points differential in case this pool ends up with three teams tied.
Scotland 35 Russia 0
TRY! Scotland 40 Russia 0 (Seymour ’55)
A lovely grubber through to the corner flirts outrageously with the touchline, but refuses to be drawn to touch. Instead it bounces and bobbles long enough for Tommy Seymour to keep chase and dive to dot it down.
Hastings even smashes over the touchline conversion. That’s six out of six for the brilliant young Glasgow Warrior.
Scotland 42 Russia 0
TRY! Scotland 47 Russia o (G Horne ’58)
Hat-trick for the scrum-half.
They’re streaming through now. Pete Horne makes the break down the left, flicks it inside for Henry Pyrgos and who is on his shoulder begging to score a third, but the scrum-half.
He takes possession and scorches to the corner for a diving finish.
Hastings misses the conversion, however. His first errant attempt from seven.
Even WP Nel is taking and giving offloads now as he storms to line-breaks that lead to an improbable FOURTH try for George Horne.
TRY! Scotland 52 Russia 0 (G Horne ’64)
Oh, another bit of mercy from Barnes here. Horne’s fourth try is chalked off as the TMO spots a forward pass to him from Magnus Bradbury.
Russia enjoying a period of relief along with possession now. A good chance to take the pressure off a tiring defence and stem the flow of Scottish scores.
They win a penalty and set up for a line-out in the Scottish 22.
The line-out goes… eh, awry. And Scotland can scrum in their own third. On the evidence so far, they can count this as an attacking platform.
And it was, until Stuart McInally spilt the ball on the second phase of the move just outside his 22 as Townsend’s attack veer back left in a wide-wide play.
There was a penalty advantage in play, however, so McInally will get his hands back on the ball immediately to throw in a line-out on halfway.
Ah here. We’re back in comedy of errors mode with mis-thrown line-outs all over the place. But Scotland can at least keep pressure on in the Russia 22.
TRY! Scotland 54 Russia 0 (Barclay ’74)
Kushnarev makes a big break from his own territory. That’s the best piece of play Russia have produced and it comes to an end with the same player trying to dink a kick in behind Scotland after the defence had scrambled and set.
Townsend’s attack counters and big John Barclay finds the tired men in the middle, stepping his way past two defenders on a 30-metre run in under the posts.
TRY! Scotland 59 Russia 0 (McInally ’59)
It’s another very, very entertaining try from Scotland as they carry, cut and offload their way through a disintegrating red wall before going wide to the hooker.
Hastings smashes over a seventh conversion.
And no sooner have I finished trying to describe the conversion… it looks like Scotland get another as Hastings runs in.
But there’s another TMO check and the score is ruled out.
FULL-TIME: Scotland 61 Russia 0
And there we have it. Scotland ran riot and it could have been worse for Russia were it not for a few forward passes.
Townsend’s men go into the final weekend third in Pool A, but with the best points difference: +71 to Ireland’s +52 and Japan’s +46.
The Brave Blossoms, though, are top of the pile with 14 points, three ahead of Ireland and four clear of the Scots.
