Scotland must beat Samoa 'in emphatic fashion'

BBC News

17-07-2025

Summer Test: Samoa v Scotland Venue: Eden Park, Auckland Date: Friday, 18 July Time: 08:35 BSTCoverage: Watch on BBC iPlayer, video coverage and live text updates on the BBC Sport website & app
Scotland must beat Samoa in "emphatic fashion" if they are to salvage their summer tour, according to former Glasgow Warriors scrum-half Colin Gregor.Gregor Townsend's side beat the Maori All Blacks 29-26 in the first game of their trip before being soundly beaten by Fiji in Suva last week.It was a punishing match in terms of the result, the collisions and also world ranking points. Scotland's hopes of a favourable draw for the 2027 World Cup took a significant hit.Townsend spoke earlier this week about finishing on a high and Gregor says they not only have to win but win in style."Win, first and foremost," he told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast. "And in emphatic fashion."The damage has been done to the world rankings, the impact on the World Cup, these sort of things."
Gregor says it is also an opportunity for certain players to push themselves to the front of the queue for opportunities in the autumn."It's now about looking at where can they make some improvements?" he said. "And then looking a bit bigger picture, where are the potential combinations? "Where are the potential guys that are really going to step up and say 'right, when called upon, I'm going to be in the mix for a starting position, or at least a squad position."A second defeat for Scotland is "not worth thinking about" and Gregor warned that Samoa have the ability to hurt Scotland if the tourists fall below their best level."You're back in Auckland, playing Samoa, who don't offer the same threats as Fiji but who still have enough quality to make it uncomfortable if you get it wrong," he said."The vultures are always circling, but coming back from this tour, you'd hope you'd get a couple of good wins and unity has grown in the squad."Two losses is not worth thinking about."
Samoa playing first game of 2025
Townsend has made five changes to his starting line-up following the defeat by Fiji.Centre Tom Jordan and back row Jamie Ritchie picked up injuries in Suva, Cameron Redpath also misses out, lock Marshall Sykes drops to the bench, while wing Darcy Graham has been called up by the British and Irish Lions.However, prop Rory Sutherland and hooker Ewan Ashman start before they head to Australia to swell the depleted Lions squad.Kyle Steyn moves from left to right wing as Arron Reed comes in at 11, while Rory Hutchinson and Stafford McDowall make up a new centre partnership.Gregor Brown comes into the second row and Andy Onyeama-Christie takes over at blind-side flanker.Samoa, who pulled out of their 2024 northern hemisphere tour due to near-bankruptcy, are playing their first competitive match this year.They have also had to relinquish home advantage after the western grandstands of Apia Park were condemned for urgent demolition, although they should have a significant vocal support in Auckland - a city with an estimated 135,000 Samoan expats.While they lost heavily to Japan and Fiji last year, Samoa also defeated Tonga, United States, Spain and top-tier Italy to sit between Wales and Japan at 13th in the World Rugby rankings - six spots behind the Scots.While the Scots have only lost twice and won 10 of their meetings, including 34-0 at their most recent at the 2019 World Cup, Samoa's last victory came during the previous Lions tour of Australia.