Gregor Townsend hails Scotland for showing ‘true identity' in victory over Samoa
Scotland opened their tour with victory over the Maori All Blacks in New Zealand but were on the end of an ill-disciplined 29-14 defeat by Fiji in Suva last weekend.
Rounding off the Skyscanner Pacific Tour with a win 🏴#AsOne pic.twitter.com/lxvFzAEtrU
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) July 18, 2025
That result was a major blow for Scotland's aspirations of breaking into the top seeds ahead of the World Cup draw in December, but Townsend's side reacted in the best way possible to finish the season on a high.
'It was hugely important,' Townsend said. 'You rise to a challenge and you show your true identity when you've got that challenge of backing up a defeat and the players showed that.
'The way they came together during the week with just a six-day turnaround and one training session, they were really aligned and focused on delivering a better performance and they did that.'
Scotland quickly got on top through tries from Lions-bound Ewan Ashman and Rory Hutchinson in the opening 13 minutes and were always in control of the game.
Arron Reed, Kyle Steyn, Grant Gilchrist, Kyle Rowe and George Turner all crossed with the Samoans grabbing two second-half tries of their own.
Townsend said: 'We had to defend really well at the beginning of the game. I thought Samoa brought a lot from their attack. They were direct, they were physical and they moved the ball well to the wide channels.
'So that set us up really well for us to move the ball when we had it. I thought we were really clinical in the 22, through our forwards mainly, with the mall, but also the direct carrying.
'And then just some really good skills to score tries and give us that cushion going into half-time.
'That would be close to how well the team played against the Maori. This game was more physical.
'It's been a really enjoyable tour, so it's important we finish with a top performance.'
Townsend hailed scrum-half Jamie Dobie, who was involved in the build-up to several tries, but was stopped just short of the line himself and delivered some important defensive interventions.
Introducing Scotland cap #1236, Fin Richardson 🧢#AsOne pic.twitter.com/MuO190r0XD
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) July 18, 2025
'Jamie was great,' he added. 'He was battling with cramp near the end, but for him to go from nine to wing and play equally as well….
'I thought Gregor Brown was outstanding, came back from injury and then getting another injury in our first game on tour. Grant Gilchrist going 80 minutes again and Fin Richardson in his first cap, showing real energy.
'And it was really pleasing to see our scrum and our line-up maul being dominant. It's something we've spent a lot of time working on. The players have really worked hard and we have had our rewards in that area on this tour.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
11 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Scots EasyJet passengers sleep on airport floor in Bulgaria after ‘eggy smell' forces flight to make emergency landing
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCOTS passengers were forced to sleep on an airport floor after an 'eggy smell' forced the emergency landing of their plane. The flight from Dalaman in Turkey to Edinburgh took off on Tuesday night and was expected in Scotland at 12.45am on Wednesday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The Easyjet flight was forced to land due to an 'eggy smell' 2 The holimakers were in Dalaman, Turkey But two hours into the journey, the plane made a U-turn over Serbia and landed in Sofia, Bulgaria due to the foul stench. The crew had already flown their hours for the day so another aircraft had to be sent from London Gatwick to pick up the weary Scots families returning from their sunshine breaks. Some chose to sleep on the sirport floor after hotels took hours to secure - and families were told they would have to pay for the transit costs themselves. At around 5.30am, Scott Duncan and his wife, Emily Powell, were told accommodation had been found for them; however, they'd have to pay for transport to the premises. They told STV News: 'Check out times were between 10am to 11am, along with paying for transport there and back, and needing to be at the airport for 3pm to pass security for a 5pm flight, we decided it was better to stay in the airport overnight. 'After sleeping on the floor for an hour after being refused seating from the Costa staff, eventually they opened the seating at 7am and allowed us chairs to sleep on. 'We have had nowhere to store our luggage and still no word on food or water, as well as airport staff reporting that there has been no word from an EasyJet representative. 'We have barely slept, are extremely dehydrated and provided very weak air conditioning in over 30-degree weather.' Scott's wife, Emily, added: 'We can clearly understand that it is not the cabin crew or the pilot's fault as they were making sure that we were safe, and this is completely on EasyJet.' Vicky Walker, who noticed a 'foul smell' prior to landing, said passengers were assured that accommodation, water and food would all be handled by the UK airline. Drunk offshore worker causes carnage on Scotland-bound easyJet flight after partner dumps him But the 37-year-old from Forfar, Angus, says she spent the night in the Bulgarian airport. She said: 'We were offered a hotel room, but we had to make our own way there, to then be told we would need to check out of the hotel at 10am. 'My friend and I didn't have the money to pay for it, so we ended up in the airport with others. We haven't been offered any water or food and have had no information given to us at all. 'Just a horrendous experience. Needless to say, I won't be travelling with EasyJet again. 'I'm shattered and it just put a total dampener on my holiday.' The flight, EZY3282 is expected to land in Edinburgh around 7pm today. EasyJet has been contacted for comment.
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Giant dice forfeits, singing along to Status Quo... and chats about VAT! This is what REALLY goes on in the Lions' camp Down Under
After their first-Test victory over the Wallabies on Saturday night, a group of Lions players celebrated at the Marquee Bar on Brunswick Street. The likes of Finn Russell, Will Stuart and Andrew Porter donned their Australian bush hats after their recovery ice baths and hit the Brisbane town. Many of their partners joined, too. Family has been a big part of this trip; from presenting the Test jerseys at the Botanic Gardens, to children running around on the pitch during the final training session at the Suncorp Stadium.
STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
Scots sleep in Bulgarian airport after 'eggy smell' forces plane emergency landing
Passengers were forced to sleep in a Bulgarian airport after an Edinburgh-bound flight had to make an emergency landing due to an 'eggy smell'. The EasyJet flight EZY3282 from Dalaman, Turkey, to the Scottish capital took off at 9.55pm UK time and was due to arrive at around 12.45am on Wednesday morning. But around two hours into the journey, the aircraft made a U-turn over Serbia following a reported technical issue and landed in Sofia, Bulgaria. Those onboard told STV News staff said the plane was being diverted due to an 'unusual smell' described as 'eggy'. After landing, passengers were informed that they needed to spend the night in the Bulgarian capital because the cabin crew had worked their due hours. EasyJet previously told STV News that accommodation and meals were provided to those impacted, but affected passengers say they slept in the airport and haven't been supplied with water or food. After queuing at the check-in desks, passengers were informed that hotels had denied them spaces, and airport staff had to contact hotel managers directly to seek accommodation. Passengers claimed staff said they were unable to provide food and drink vouchers because EasyJet representatives had not contacted them. At around 5.30am, Scott Duncan and his wife, Emily Powell, were told accommodation had been found for them; however, they'd have to pay for transport to the premises. 'Check out times were between 10am to 11am, along with paying for transport there and back, and needing to be at the airport for 3pm to pass security for a 5pm flight, we decided it was better to stay in the airport overnight,' he told STV News. 'After sleeping on the floor for an hour after being refused seating from the Costa staff, eventually they opened the seating at 7am and allowed us chairs to sleep on.' Mr Duncan said they were issued new boarding passes to download but the EasyJet app crashed when trying to access them or the customer service option. He said that they had still not been able to check in an hour before the scheduled departure. iStock 'We have had nowhere to store our luggage and still no word on food or water, as well as airport staff reporting that there has been no word from an EasyJet representative,' Mr Duncan said. 'We have barely slept, are extremely dehydrated and provided very weak air conditioning in over 30-degree weather.' Passengers still feel 'left in the dark,' with a flight scheduled to leave at 5pm on Wednesday being delayed for a further three hours Scott's wife, Emily, added: 'We haven't been provided any information and have had to find out from friends and family about certain things that are happening. 'We are having to contact EasyJet first to find out information. They are not coming to us and they are completely leaving us in the dark. 'We can clearly understand that it is not the cabin crew or the pilot's fault as they were making sure that we were safe, and this is completely on EasyJet.' Vicky Walker, who noticed a 'foul smell' prior to landing, said passengers were assured that accommodation, water and food would all be handled by the UK airline. But the 37-year-old from Forfar says she spent the night in the Bulgarian airport. 'We were offered a hotel room, but we had to make our own way there, to then be told we would need to check out of the hotel at 10am,' she said. 'My friend and I didn't have the money to pay for it, so we ended up in the airport with others. We haven't been offered any water or food and have had no information given to us at all. 'Just a horrendous experience. Needless to say, I won't be travelling with EasyJet again.' 'I'm shattered and it just put a total dampener on my holiday.' Another passenger told STV News her family had to book their own accommodation despite EasyJet informing them that the situation was 'under control' and to 'hang tight'. While 'kids slept on the floor', the mum called the airline for the fourth time. She was told that ground staff were 'dealing' with affected passengers; however, there were reportedly no employees in the area. She told STV News: 'We collected bags then made our way through to arrivals which was chaos, there were no staff at all present in the arrivals hall or departures, just a police officer in each who had no information. 'I called EasyJet various times and each time was told to hang tight they were sorting it out and someone would be on their way soon. 'After two hours and no sign of anyone I asked EasyJet if we could book our own hotel, they said it was all under control and if we booked our own they would not reimburse us for it. 'The airport was completely closed and the one vending machine wasn't working. It was hot and there was no access to food or water and still no staff around. Kids sleeping everywhere and all miserable.' Eventually, the family booked accommodation for themselves before heading back to the airport later in the day. The mum added: 'I'm really glad they got us off the plane safely and are sending a new plane but I'm extremely disappointed with how EasyJet has let everyone down. 'Just want to get our little one home it's been a long two days for her.' EasyJet has been contacted for comment. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
