
Scotland end Pacific tour in emphatic style with win over Samoa
The Scots, with nine players away with the British & Irish Lions on tour in Australia, outscored Samoa seven tries to two with Ewan Ashman, Rory Hutchinson, Arron Reed, Kyle Steyn, Grant Gilchrist, Kyle Rowe and George Turner all going over. Fergus Burke put over two conversions and George Horne one.
Benjamin Petaia Nee-Nee and Duncan Paia'aua scored tries for Samoa, who had plentiful support but put on a disjointed showing in their first international since last September.
Four first half tries had Scotland enjoy a healthy 22-0 lead at the break as nippy scrumhalf Jamie Dobie played a central role in setting up their scores.
It was his clever kick after eight minutes that won a lineout and set up the subsequent maul for the first try for Ashman, who along with prop Rory Sutherland flies to Australia on Sunday to join the Lions as forward cover.
Hutchinson's try five minutes later came after a clever chip through the Samoa defence by his centre partner Stafford McDowall with Dobie's long pass to Reed on the left wing seeing Scotland going over again in the 31st minute.
Another kick from Dobie won Scotland a lineout near the Samoa tryline from which a series of long passes found space for Steyn to run in on the opposite wing.
Scotland continued the scoring five minutes into the second half through Gilchrist but then a rare mistake in defence allowed Samoa lock Nee-Nee to intercept near the line and cross over for their first score.
A spectacular dive in the corner from Rowe in the 55th minute kept the tourists well in command but five minutes later centre Paia'aua wriggled free from tired looking Scots tacklers to get Samoa's second try.
Scotland, however, finished the game with another display of forward power with Turner pushing over for their final try three minutes from time
They had started their tour in New Zealand with a win over the Maori All Blacks but then lost last weekend in Fiji.
Samoa, who had six debutants in their starting line-up including former England international Jacob Umaga, played the match in New Zealand because their stadium in Apia is undergoing renovations.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
India closing in on battling draw as England fail to make further inroads
MANCHESTER, England :After being 0-2 early in their second innings, India continued to battle on to frustrate England on day five of the fourth test at Old Trafford on Sunday, the tourists doing everything possible to keep the series alive on 322-4 at tea. Shubman Gill's courageous century added to England's woes in the morning session, before Washington Sundar and veteran Ravindra Jadeja both hit unbeaten half centuries after lunch to give India a second-innings lead of 11. A tantalising, closely-contested series in which every test has gone to the final day reached a crucial point as England targeted victory in the match that would seal series success with one fixture still to come. England skipper Ben Stokes, who took five wickets in India's first innings but was not fit to bowl in the tourists' first 63 overs of their second on Saturday, brought himself into the attack on Sunday morning with India resuming on 174-2. The move paid dividends as Stokes, still feeling the effects of several injuries, trapped KL Rahul leg before wicket for 90, ending the third-wicket partnership - India having been 0-2 when Gill and Rahul came to the crease - at 188. Gill remained undeterred, even after getting a nasty-looking blow on the hand, to move to his fourth century of the series. In his first as captain, the 25-year-old became only the third skipper to score four hundreds in a single test series. After almost seven hours at the crease, a tired-looking Gill wafted at a Jofra Archer delivery to fall just before lunch for 103. Jadeja was then dropped the very next ball by Joe Root but survived to return for the afternoon session. Sundar moved along conservatively after lunch, with a draw India's only realistic target. He then hit successive boundaries, one a huge six, to move to his fifth test half century, before Jadeja reached his latest milestone. England looked short of ideas after struggling to cause India any afternoon problems. Sundar will resume on 57 after tea, Jadeja on 53.


CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Garcia takes Tour de France Femmes stage two as Le Court grabs yellow
Veteran Spanish rider Mavi Garcia claimed victory in a demanding second stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, attacking solo in the closing kilometres to secure a dramatic win in Quimper after a 110.4km ride from Brest. The 41-year-old Liv-AlUla-Jayco rider launched her decisive move with 10km remaining, opening a gap of around 20 seconds on the chasing pack. She held on through the explosive final climb, crossing the line three seconds ahead of her pursuers. Behind Garcia, Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) sprinted to second place, with Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) of Mauritius finishing third and taking the overall leader's yellow jersey. Dutch star Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), who wore the leader's jersey after winning Saturday's opening stage, finished fifth and surrendered her overall lead to Le Court Pienaar. France's Pauline Ferrand-Prevot took eighth after featuring prominently in the finale for the second day in a row. The final climb was lit up by attacks from local favourite Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez), the first to surge on the second ascent of the Cote du chemin de Troheir. Her teammate Demi Vollering, one of the overall favourites, countered with a strong acceleration 5km from the finish, ultimately placing seventh, just behind defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM).


CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Another Gill ton frustrates England before Archer strikes
MANCHESTER, England :A courageous century from India captain Shubman Gill further frustrated England on day five of the fourth test at Old Trafford on Sunday, but his dismissal just before lunch leaves India 223-4 in their second innings, still trailing by 88. A tantalising, closely-contested series in which every test has gone to the final day reached a crucial point as England looked to secure victory in the match that would seal series success with one fixture still to come. England skipper Ben Stokes, who took five wickets in India's first innings but was not fit to bowl in the tourists' first 63 overs of their second on Saturday, brought himself into the attack on Sunday morning with India resuming on 174-2. The move paid dividends as Stokes, still feeling the effects of several injuries, trapped KL Rahul leg before wicket for 90, ending the third-wicket partnership - India having been 0-2 when Gill and Rahul came to the crease - at 188. Gill remained undeterred, even after getting a nasty-looking blow on the hand, to move to his fourth century of the series. In his first as captain, the 25-year-old became only the third skipper to score four hundreds in a single test series. After almost seven hours at the crease, a tired-looking Gill wafted at a Jofra Archer delivery to fall just before lunch for 103. Ravindra Jadeja was then dropped the very next ball by Joe Root, giving England renewed hope of sealing victory. Washington Sundar, unbeaten on 21, will return for the afternoon session alongside Jadeja, who is yet to score.