Scotland find a way to repel second-half Maori onslaught

Times

2 days ago

Making life difficult for themselves has become something of an art form for ­Scotland down the years. Escaping from tight spots has been a harder habit to acquire — but that is precisely what they did to secure victory in the opening match of their Pacific Tour.
While the Maori All Blacks came close to the winning score in a frantic seven minutes of time added on, ­Gregor Townsend's team deserved to hold out. They had led 24-12 at half-time at the Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei, then stretched their lead by a further five points early in the ­second half.
Even after the Maori hit back and closed to within three points, the ­tourists looked like running the clock down in comfort. Instead, they ­conceded a penalty 30 seconds from the end of normal time, and had to withstand a furious onslaught before eventually turning over possession and kicking dead.
'The good thing is we found a way to win,' Townsend, the head coach, said. 'It was probably beyond ­expectations that we were so far ahead, knowing what the Maori did last week in Japan,' he continued, referring to the 53-20 win against a Japan XV in Tokyo. 'We knew that they would come back, and it looked like they had the momentum at the end.
'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. But we also wanted to win this game and we're so pleased that we did win the game and 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.'
If that late penalty concession was an unnecessary complication, the real difficulty came earlier in the ­second 40, when Scotland could only score five points against opponents who had two men sent to the sin-bin within a minute of each other. That minor advantage was wiped out within a minute of the pair returning, swinging the momentum firmly back in favour of the Maori.
However, notwithstanding such defects, the match has to go down as a major success for Scotland, with the only real downside being a late ­concussion which rules Gregor Brown out of Saturday's game against Fiji.
Townsend had chosen to rest some key players with a view to keeping them fresh for the forthcoming full internationals against Fiji and Samoa, which count for world ranking points, unlike this non-cap match. So it was an inexperienced team that lined up to face the Maori for the first time since the 2000 tourists lost by three points.
And perhaps that lack of ­experience showed in an uncertain start that saw the home side take the lead after only 49 seconds when Sam Nock scored an unconverted try off a counterattack.
Scotland steadily got back into the game, however, and took the lead when Harry Paterson won the chase into in-goal after Ollie Smith had chipped ahead. Adam Hastings ­converted, then added a penalty as the visitors' domination grew.
Next, George Horne got the first of his two tries, like Paterson winning a race to the line from a kick, this time supplied by Rory Hutchinson. ­Hastings' conversion made it 5-17.
Scotland had given Fin Richardson a first appearance from the start, and, after Ben Muncaster was taken off with a dead leg, Alex Masibaka became the second debutant, to be joined later by a third, Fergus Burke. Masibaka had an inauspicious start, being sin-binned after collapsing the maul, but in the second half his meaty contribution proved crucial to the defensive effort.
Isaia Walker-Leawere had touched down for the Maori just before Masibaka's dismissal, with Rivez Reihana converting. However, the tourists ended the half on top, and Arron Reed got their third try after another clever kick through from Smith. Hastings' conversion ended the half.
The opening stages of the second half should have seen Scotland make the most of their momentum, as first Masibaka returned and then Te Kamaka Howden and Zarn Sullivan were carded for defensive offences. But a knock-on by Hastings ended one gilt-edged opportunity to score against the 13 men, and a lost lineout put paid to another chance.
Still, after failing to score the easy way, Scotland succeeded in doing so in more difficult fashion, as Horne touched down at the end of a ­magnificent counterattack from deep. Hastings failed to convert, but at 12-29 the lead looked solid enough.
Or at least it did until Kurt Eklund, the home captain, scored from a lineout maul, and Reihana's conversion made it a ten-point game.
With around quarter of an hour still to play, that became three points. ­Gideon Wrampling touched down on the far left after the Scots defence had been stretched to breaking point, and Kaleb Trask, on for Reihana, added the two points.
Scotland reasserted themselves after that setback, and had a lot of promising possession deep inside Maori territory. Had they scored a fifth try then, that would surely have been game over.
Instead, in the end, they had to resort to that last-ditch defence. It may have been undisciplined enough, in terms of the laws, for the referee to send Cameron Henderson to the ­sin-bin. But in terms of structure and tenacity, it was spot on.
Star player George Horne (Scotland).
Scorers: Maori All Blacks: Tries Nock (1min), Walker-Leawere (31), Eklund (57), Wrampling (66). Cons Reihana 2, Trask. Scotland: Tries Paterson (11), Horne 2 (24, 53), Reed (39). Pen Hastings (16). Cons Hastings 3.
Maori All Blacks Z Sullivan; C Forbes (C Evans 58), B Sullivan, G Wrampling, D Rona; R Reihana (K Trask 58), S Nock (K Hauiti-Parapara 70); J Proffit (P Rakete-Stones 54), K Eklund (capt; J Devery 64), K Sykes-Martin (B Kumeroa 54), A Shalfoon (L McWhannell 54), I Walker-Leawere, T Howden, J Brown, C Grace.
Scotland O Smith; H Paterson, R Hutchinson, S McDowall (capt), A Reed; A Hastings (F Burke 61), G Horne (J Dobie 61); N McBeth (A Hepburn 50), P Harrison (G Turner 50), F Richardson (W Hurd 50), M Sykes (M Williamson 50), C Henderson, J Bayliss, A Onyeama-Christie (G Brown 70, Onyeama-Christie 78), B Muncaster (A Masibaka 29).
Yellow cards: Maori All Blacks Howden (46-56), Sullivan (47-57). Scotland Masibaka (32-42), Henderson (85).
Referee Nika Amashukeli (Georgia). Attendance 10,100.