Full match report here:
Gregor Townsend is here:
“We have to suck this one up, it’s disappointing to not play your best but we have to take learning from this game. We couldn’t get a foothold in the second half and we gave the momentum to them. We will look at how we can improve our accuracy and we’re highly motivated to beat Japan next week, a team that beat us in the World Cup two years ago.”
No thoughts offered about the changes in selection, which is interesting.
Losing Captain, Stuart Hogg is reflecting on the match:
“Gutted because we went in at half-time in control. We challenged to come out in second half and make it happen but we were second best. It hurts. We take a little bit of confidence from previous victories, but that’s in the past, and our performance today has let ourselves down in some vital areas.”
Very honest reflection there, although I would question if Scotland were actually in control in first half. Nothing was very controlled anywhere on the field from either side in the first forty - once control was applied South Africa were better everywhere.
Siya Kolisi is here offering his thoughts:
“Grateful to be part of this team, and we’ve been welcomed to Edinburgh by so many people. Scotland got the edge in first half, but then we put our physicality to the fore in the second half and our kicks were on point.”
Mike Pearce emails:
“A tougher test than Cardiff? I really don’t think so.”
Well, it certainly turned out that way, Mike, but it wasn’t an outlandish prediction to make pre-game.
In the end, Scotland made twice as many tackles and conceded nearly twice and many penalties while being dominated physically.
FULL TIME! Scotland 15 - 30 South Africa
PEEP PEEEEP! Eben Etzebeth of all people chips the ball out and the game is over.
PENALTY! Scotland 15 - 30 South Africa (Handre Pollard)
77 mins. A Bok scrum in the Scotland 22 ends in a predictable penalty for the visitors and Pollard slots it at his leisure.
The end of the semi-chaos of the first half has seen South Africa dominate pretty much everywhere since.
Updated
75 mins. South Africa, who were slow to lineout before are now moving like a glacier carrying heavy shopping. When they finally arrive, their latest in their own half is won cleanly and cleared. You have to admire the top-tier gamesmanship combined with ability of this team.
Speaking of ability, Cobus Reinach has been a revelation in this second half.
Scotland go full bench emptying Hail Mary tactic.
Jamie Hodgson, George Horne and Adam Hastings are on for Sam Skinner, Ali Price and Matt Scott
PENALTY! Scotland 15 - 27 South Africa (Frans Steyn)
71 mins. As we head into the last ten minutes of the match the following are not working for Scotland: scrum, lineout, breakdown. You have to imagine it’s hard to come back in those circumstances.
Following the latest breakdown penalty, Frans Steyn steps up and tonks it over from 48 metres.
PENALTY! Scotland 15 - 24 South Africa (Handre Pollard)
67 mins. The Scottish lineout has descended into high farce as yet another one is stolen in a promising position. To rub it in even further, Kitshoff gets his hands on the ball to win a penalty in kickable range.
Pollard, having got his loosener in last time, makes no mistake.
MISSED PENALTY! Scotland 15 - 21 South Africa (Handre Pollard)
65 mins. A terrible contact from the usually reliable Pollard puts it wide. At this time of the match that could be a very significant miss as it keeps Scotland within one converted score.
SUBS
South Africa replace Elton Jantjies with Handre Pollard and Frans Steyn is on for Willie Le Roux
For Scotland, Jamie Bhatti and Oli Kebble take the field for Pierre Schoeman and Zander Fagerson
62 mins. Another brilliant platform for Scotland soon after the restart is squandered by the home side as Mostert snaffles McInally’s long throw to the lineout tail on the SA five-metre line.
Ewan Ashman replaces McInally for the next lineout and he overthrows this time.
Scotland don’t have enough possession to treat it so poorly.
TRY! Scotland 15 - 21 South Africa (Stuart Hogg)
59 mins. Am is a little high in the tackle on Ali Price and Russell puts Scotland deep into the SA 22. Off first phase Russell finds Van Der Merwe in midfield off his wing, he stands up the drifting Bok defence and feeds Hogg for an arcing run-in.
Russell pull the kick wide again.
The good news for Scotland is that for the limited time they have the ball, the points are there.
Updated
PENALTY! Scotland 10 - 21 South Africa (Elton Jantjies)
56 mins. Jamie Ritchie gives away his third penalty of the match - his side’s tenth - and Jantjies adds yet more points.
53 mins. Chris Harris is penalised for pointlessly blocking Jesse Kriel on a kick chase. That’s nine penalties the home side have conceded and slowly, inevitably South Africa are turning the territorial and scoreboard screw
Scotland go to the bench:
Hamish Watson is on for Nick Haining
Blair Kinghorn replaces Rufus McLean
PENALTY! Scotland 10 - 18 South Africa (Elton Jantjies)
50 mins. South Africa have a lineout in the Scotland 22 which the forwards take approximately three solar rotations to arrive at. They eventually amble up and win the ball cleanly off the top and are attacking on the 22 and Scotland put in a tombola of penalties that ref Gardiner can take his pick of. He chooses a high tackle from Jamie Ritchie.
Jantjies adds three points.
46 mins. Jamie Ritchie puts in a nice chip over the top and Le Roux fails to find touch on the return. This allows Scotland to faff about around the SA ten-metre line for not much reward in terms of shape or territory.
TRY! Scotland 10 - 15 South Africa (Makazole Mapimpi)
43 mins. Van Der Merwe has the ball ripped from him arms on the right touchline and South Africa go left through the hands. Reinach puts huge width on the play with his first pass, De Allende drifts outside Matt Scott and pops to Mapimpi who finishes well for his second of the day.
Jantjies slots the extras.
Updated
SECOND HALF!
We’re back underway and South African are immediately on the attack in the Scotland 22, but Koch is penalised again for breakdown misbehaviour. Russell will release the pressure from the boot
To confirm the change just before half-time for South Africa:
Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch replaced Ox Nché, Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane. In addition, Cobus Reinach has replaced Herschel Jantjies at the break
Updated
Constructive feedback email.
“Surely you gonna have to mention the ref...” says Tony Gomes from South Africa, “That Scotland try had a huge forward pass, and the ref is mind bogglingly poor. Those last two penalties were howlers. Some Scots have yet to touch the ball, but somehow they ahead, but you rambling on like it’s an even contest”
Tony there, clearly fuming.
Updated
Half time musings
Scotland are ahead and it will take me longer than a half-time break to work that out, if I’m honest.
HALF TIME!
PEEEP! That’s that for an intriguing and often odd opening forty minutes.
Updated
MISSED PENALTY! Scotland 10 - 8 South Africa (Finn Russell)
40+2 mins. The Sprinboks replace their entire front row prior to the lineout (again, confusing), Scotland win the ball and new prop Vincent Koch is penalised at the next breakdown. It’s in range but Russell pull it horribly left. A very poor miss.
39 mins. As the half dwindles to an end Chris Harris decides to throw and one-handed reverse pass in his own 22 to Rufus McLean. The winger runs it upfield and Scotland have a penalty and a lineout on the SA 22!
This match is very confusing...
That try was all from Russell’s vision to switch the entire point of attack left with that cross-kick. There was still plenty to do, but without his initial “sod it, let’s send it over there” decision the opportunity is nowhere.
TRY! Scotland 10 - 8 South Africa (Stuart Hogg)
36 mins. Ali Price manages to dig the ball out of a rapidly imploding scrum. Finn Russell chips a cross-kick left and the ball is pinballed inside and outside in a five metre channel on the left touchline between Skinner, van der Merwe, Harris and eventually Hogg who runs in. The TMO looks at about three things, including checking forward passes and if Harris was in touch before offloading, but there’s nothing to see. Try given!
Russell converts.
Updated
33 mins. Good news: Scotland have an attacking platform on the Bok 22. Bad news: it’s a scrum.
There’s a break in play while someone has treament and the Scotland pack presumably chat about how to not have their heads pushed into their own torsos.
TRY! Scotland 3 - 8 South Africa (Makazole Mapimpi)
30 mins. Suddenly, in the midst of the maladroit muddle, some quality breaks out as South Africa work the ball left with a series of perfectly time passes that put Mapimpi away tight to the left touchline. He has too much pace for the covering Hogg and scores.
Elton Jantjies misses the extras.
Updated
28 mins. The first attacking platform for a while for Scotland is from a lineout, but the attack breaks down horribly due to some miscommunication in midfield. A scrappy period ensues from both sides in the middle third of the field.
PENALTY! Scotland 3 - 3 South Africa (Elton Jantjies)
24 mins. Jamie Ritchie is busy at the breakdown and grabs the ball as Nche is tackled. It looked a clean jackal but ref Gardiner saw all sorts wrong with it, particularly as his hands were on the floor just before he grabbed the ball.
Elton Jantjies brings his side level with the boot.
Updated
22 mins. Normal service is resumed in the scrum as the Scotland pack turns to powder under the Bok shove. Another penalty on the way after the SA attack on the advantage comes to nought. SA lineout midway in Scotland half coming.
MISSED PENALTY! Scotland 3 - 0 South Africa (Finn Russell)
19 mins. In the next phase of possession after the restart Jamie Ritchie clamps on Jesse Kriel to win Scotland a penalty for Kriel not releasing. Russell tees it up once more, but pushes it just right.
PENALTY! Scotland 3 - 0 South Africa (Finn Russell)
17 mins. Russell strokes it through and amazingly, brilliantly, improbably Scotland are in front! What a turnaround.
Updated
16 mins. Scotland’s pack pick the best possible time to finally hold strong in the scrum and force Vermeulen to carry it. He loses ball at the breakdown and Russell dummies a kick IN HIS OWN IN-GOAL AREA, pops it left to van der Merwe who runs around Mbonambi and races 50 metres up the field!
Jesse Kriel hauls the Scot winger down, but doesn’t release. The ref doesn’t like the Bok afters, marches them back 10 and this puts in kicking range for Finn Russell.
14 mins. Mostert claims a solid lineout ten metres out for the Scotland line. The maul is set but Schoeman manages to get his hand in, but it’s knocked on! This will simply bring another SA scrum, this time five metres out and this means either a penalty or a try you have to think.
11 mins. Since the early couple of phases, Scotland have had zero ball and can’t get themselves into the game. South Africa are taking scrums on every penalty given away by the home team. Scrums begat more penalties, penalties begat more lineouts and more Bok territorial advantage.
Updated
8 mins. Sam Skinner gets up in front of Mostert to ruin the Bok lineout and allow Russell to bludgeon the ball away with his boot. On the return punt from Le Roux, Stuart Hogg makes a poor effort of a climbing catch - the ball bouncing off his chest like a beach ball.
6 mins. Gilchrist compounds the issue be pushing early at the lineout and Elton Jantjies puts the visitors deep into the Scotland 22. The catch and drive is repelled but the Boks are working short carries left and right and are up to double-figures phases, each one softening the Scottish defence.
Inevitably, the pressures tells and Gilchrist is penalised again, this time for not rolling away. South Africa put it in the corner once more.
2 mins. Scotland have their first couple of phases from the top of a lineout, with Russell doing his frequent show and go. This puts him just behind the Bok tackle line before the clatter from the covering inside defence forces him to knock-on.
Zander Fagerson is penalised for collapsing the first scrum of the match.
Kick-off
Finn Russell gets us underway
A wonderful, poignant moment as Tom Smith delivers the match ball. The former Scotland and Lions prop continues his battle against cancer and is embraced by Stuart Hogg and the ovation of the crowd.
A humble man with nothing to be humble about.
Scotland’s decent year in comparative stats is interesting...
Against South Africa, @Scotlandteam men are looking for their 4th win in the calendar year against a side ranked in the top 3 in the world.
— Kevin Millar (@topofthemoonGW) November 12, 2021
Victories of this magnitude haven't come too frequently since the rankings were introduced in 2003. #AsOne pic.twitter.com/vvhg8bY5UK
Hamish Watson, benched today, has been chatting to Amazon Prime pre-match. In a continuation of the much shade that’s been thrown Warren Gatland’s way since the summer he said:
“It’s great to have players who played on the Lions tour. We learnt how to not play South Africa.”
BOOM!
Good job his national team isn’t coached by the bloke who was in charge of the Lions attack, eh?
Oh...
Pre match reading
Why is Matt Scott back in the the team, Lee? No need to ask me when you can read Gregor Townsend’s thoughts on the matter here.
You can get in touch with me and share all your thoughts, dreams and anonymised case studies via email or the twitter.
Teams
Gregor Townsend has reacted to a solid victory against Australia by spinning the selection wheel and making four changes. Matt Scott comes into the centre for the first time since 2017, displacing Sam Johnson whose partnership with Chris Harris is one of the best in the World presently. Scott’s inclusion suggesting Townsend wants a more physical presence in the face of Damian De Allende - the Crash Ball Thanos.
D’Arcy Graham leaves the squad entirely also, replaced by the promising Rufus McLean and Hamish Watson is on the bench with Jamie Ritchis in at seven and Nick Haining on the blind-side. Stuart McInally drops in at hooker for the injured George Turner.
Willie Le Roux returns to fullback for South Africa and there’s a new half-back pairing as the Jantjies Not-brothers Elton and Herschel unite.
Scotland: Stuart Hogg (captain); Rufus McLean, Chris Harris, Matt Scott, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally, Zander Fagerson, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist, Nick Haining, Jamie Ritchie, Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Jamie Bhatti, Oli Kebble, Jamie Hodgson, Hamish Watson, George Horne, Adam Hastings, Blair Kinghorn.
South Africa: Willie le Roux; Jesse Kriel, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi; Elton Jantjies, Herschel Jantjies; Ox Nché, Bongi Mbonambi, Trevor Nyakane, Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, Siya Kolisi (captain), Kwagga Smith, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese, Cobus Reinach, Handré Pollard, Frans Steyn.
Preamble
Welcome to Murrayfield everyone.
Whisper it, but Scotland could be onto something if not quite big, but certainly medium-to-big this season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Gregor Townsend’s men have two wins under their belts and a real chance of going the Autumn undefeated with two wins already in boot of their increasingly sleek and competent looking car of a squad. The rather large speedhump that may shred the bottom of their bodywork today is South Africa, a team the Scots are winless against since a Dan Parks inspired (yes, really) victory in November 2010.
The Springboks know this will be a tougher test than Cardiff last week, with Scotland at largely full compliment, possessing a more developed and winning gameplan than Wales, and a distinct lack of the unwelcome murk of defeatist fatalism that has shrouded the squad in times past.
Having said all that, Jacques Nienaber’s visitors are the masters of extracting victories from tight matches via a combination of nous, strength, well timed coaching interventions by physios and flashes of cold brilliance that seize the tiniest try opportunities
With a very poor Japan next up, a win today makes a perfect Autumn for Scotland a certainty.
