1
Scotland player ratings: Gregor Townsend’s Scotland kept their unbeaten run across the Americas alive as they overcame a passionate Chile side 52 – 11.
ADVERTISEMENT
Encountering a meticulously planned ambush to start the match, the Six Nations side trailed their hosts 3 – 0 with twenty minutes played. Getting repelled time and again, Scotland were growing visibly frustrated with their inability to cross the whitewash. Thus, when number eight Josh Bayliss finally touched down in the 21st minute, there was a sense of relief which appeared to spurn the visitors on as they ran in four tries before their host got one of their own back.
While there will be plenty to rectify this week, Townsend’s side will look forward to their final test of the season against Uruguay.
Before that, however, here is a breakdown of how the Scottish players performed in Santiago.
1. Nathan McBeth – 5
Locking down a dominant scrum, the former South Africa U20 representative made his tackles and hit rucks but didn’t bring the same level of dynamism as his replacement and incumbent Pierre Schoeman.
2. Dylan Richardson – 7.5
New position, no problem for the Durban-born utility forward who was Scotland’s standout forward in two positions today. Carrying exceptionally well for the opening fifty minutes in the close quarters when he was just about held up over the try line, his move to the backrow appeared to invigorate him to go to another level for the final thirty minutes. On the whole, this performance across two positions will give Townsend confidence that he has a valuable chess piece that offers flexibility when selecting a match day twenty-three.
3. Will Hurd – 5
Mirroring his prop partner’s performance, Hurd was part of a solid scrummaging outfit that wore down the hosts for 51 minutes. Ultimately, this work set up Scotland’s run-away win, but at the present moment, the Leicester Tiger has a long way to go to close the gap on Zander Fagerson.
4. Alex Craig – 5
Hit rucks and did the necessary grunt work as part of the starting pack that resisted the home side’s opening twenty-minute stand. Outside of this, he didn’t offer a great deal in terms of carries, but that didn’t appear to be his mandate in the team.
ADVERTISEMENT
5. Ewan Johnson – 6
Putting in an 80-minute shift, the former Racing 92 academy man got on the ball five times and directed a rock-solid line-out throughout the match. On the ground, he was a physical presence around the breakdown and won a good turnover.
6. Gregor Brown – 7
Scotland’s top carrier in the first half with 44 meters took some doing, given Chile was turning their much-favoured visitors away time and again. Playing twenty minutes in the second half, he was one of the key players that opened the floodgates for four tries between the 28th and 58th minutes.
7. Jamie Ritchie – 6.5
The BKT United Rugby Championship’s turnover king had some key interventions, namely a timely turnover in the first half when Chile knocked on the door.
8. Josh Bayliss – 5.5
Bath’s rangy backrow had a solid outing as a link player but didn’t quite have the line-smashing ability of Matt Fagerson or Jack Dempsey. That being said, he managed to get away with a nice offload, made some good passes just before contact, and scored the crucial opening try that got the Scottish momentum rolling.
ADVERTISEMENT
9. Gus Warr – 6
Scotland International 1222 has parlayed his exceptional club form into some well-earned game time in the test arena. He struggled to get his team on the front foot in the opening twenty minutes as Chile got stuck into the Scottish ruck. Instead of trying to force the proceedings, he started pinning back the hosts with a strong box-kicking game, which ultimately proved to be one of the catalysts that swung the match in Scotland’s favour.
10. Ben Healy – 6
Showcasing his pinpoint passing ability, the Edinburgh man cleverly shifted the focal point of the Scottish attack when they were getting little joy through the middle of the pitch. Allowing his ball carriers to hit up for a few phases before quickly and accurately changing the direction of the attack with bullet passes to the fringes.
11. Arron Reed – 4
The Premiership speed merchant didn’t have quite the impact one would expect from him in a match where there was ample space for the bulk of the second half. Getting on the ball four times for 14 meters does not jump off the stats sheet, but his two offloads did get his team going forward.
12. Sione Tuipulotu – 7.5
Arguably, Glasgow’s MVP from the URC brought a direct approach to proceedings this evening. Parking the soft skills for the time being, Tuipulotu made some crucial yards after contact to set a solid attacking platform for Gregor Townsend’s side. Overall, his physicality was a key difference between the two sides as he stomped out any prospect of Chile causing an upset.
13. Kyle Steyn – 6.5
Getting his reward for an afternoon of hard work as he ran in the final try to add some shine to the Scottish scoreline in the final minute. Describing his effort as workmanlike is underselling his contribution, but in another sense, it is accurate that he did the hard yards in the backline, which freed up his outside backs to have a field day for the final hour.
14. Jamie Dobie – 8
Forwards win matches, but backs decide by how much, and in the case of Dobie, he opted to add some shine to his team’s scoreline as he crossed the whitewash twice. Admittedly, most of the work had been done for both scores, but there is a skill in being in the right place at the right time, and the versatile Glasgow back nailed his positioning throughout the fixture. Interestingly, he topped the turnover charts for his team with two, not bad for a scrumhalf-turned-winger.
15. Kyle Rowe – 9
Clinical from start to finish, Rowe had a well-rounded outing with three line breaks, two defenders beaten, 113 meters made and two tries. Away from the stats, Rowe’s deception work as he roamed behind the backline before picking his moment to enter the attack ensured any time he carried it was effective. His chip kick over the tiring Chile defence in the 67th minute, when he stepped into first receiver late, was a perfect example of his vision and ability to execute a moment of individual brilliance.
REPLACEMENTS
16. Patrick Harrison – 7
Called upon in the 51st minute as part of a rather hasty quintet in response to Chile’s 49th-minute try. His injection was twofold as it freed up arguably Scotland’s most potent ball carrier, Richardson, to roam in the wider channels whilst he utilised his dynamism in the tighter exchanges. Overall, the 22-year-old has something special about him and is one to watch going forward.
17. Pierre Schoeman – 8
Bringing some much-needed grunt at the coal face, Schoeman clattered into a resilient and stingy home defence. This ‘softening’ up was telling as the Chileans began soaking tackles that they’d previously met on the gain line or dominated.
18. Javan Sebastian – 5
Joining Schoeman in upping the ante in terms of front-row play, Sebastian had a few good carries in the tight exchanges and made a few solid tackles.
19. Max Williamson – 7
Glasgow’s ‘Bakkies’ fulfilled the promise of his nickname as he emulated the Springbok legend as a no-frills direct carrier and menace at the maul. Still just 21 years old, the powerhouse lock is manna from heaven for Townsend’s coaching staff as someone who can go toe-to-toe with opponents ‘enforcers’ in the coming years.
20. Rory Darge – 5
Came on for a quick cameo off the bench in the final eight minutes to make two tackles and watch Kyle Steyn race away for the final try of the day.
21. Adam Hastings – 7
It was a mature performance from the Glasgow-bound playmaker, who managed proceedings well when he replaced Healy in the 51st minute. Taking the ball to the line before releasing well-time chip kicks, grubbers or long passes that caught the hosts flat-footed, Hastings looked comfortable in the hot seat.
22. Stafford McDowall – 5
Replacing Tuipulotu with twenty minutes to go, McDowall didn’t quite get up to the pitch of the match enough to have a noticeable impact. In his defence, his side was firmly in control at this stage as he primarily facilitated play for those around him.
23. Matt Currie – 8
Operating as a key second distributor in the wider channels, Currie threw a handful of superb floating passes that exposed the hard-pressing Chile defence. Having distributed for the first ten minutes he was on, Chile slightly stood off him which he duly exposed for a superb individual try in the 58th minute.
I watched the game and I'm absolutely certain that Rory Darge came on as a second half substitute for Scotland.