Talking Points: Scotland vs Samoa
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Scotland put in a solid performance against Samoa on Monday, as they managed to beat them 34-0 in a crucial Pool A encounter.
With Japan's shock upset of Ireland on Saturday, it shattered the expected permutations of the pool and the Scots knew they needed a big bonus point victory to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
.@ScotlandTeam's 🏴 Stuart McInally reflects on his team's victory and was grateful for his nation's support:
🗣“Thanks for sticking with us after last week and we’re pleased we managed to get a good performance today.”#RWC2019 #SCOvSAM #RWCKobe pic.twitter.com/HGQJ5p6Szv
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 30, 2019
Here are a few talking points of the match:
Scotland Awarded Two Penalty Tries:
The Scots will be happy that the referee was on their side today, as they were handed two penalty tries. The first came from a driving maul which was initially judged to be held up. A call went up to the TMO and it was judged that a side entry into the maul stop Scotland from scoring and that warranted a penalty try.
The second penalty try was awarded late in the game and it was adjudged that Sean Maitland was stopped in front of the try line by a Samoan player who slid in with his legs.
More Cards For Samoa:
Samoa winger Ed Fidow was the offender for both penalty tries, and he was shown a yellow card for the first and then in the 74th minute he was given his marching orders after crashing into Maitland with his knees to stop him from scoring.
The Pacific Nation already had two players suspended for this encounter, due to two high tackle sightings. Fidow is now likely to miss the rest of the competition.
Drop Goals May Play A Big Part In This World Cup:
Although Scotland did not require a drop goal to win the game, the one Stuart Hogg knocked over in the first half was really a momentum shift for his side. We have seen a few games now where drop goals have given teams a good buffer on the scoreboard and with handling conditions becoming tricky this may be a good way of racking up points.
Pool A Is Up For Grabs:
With Japan have taken an early hold of Group A with their two wins, but with Scotland, Samoa and Ireland all on the same amount of points it could be an interesting race for second place now.
💬 "If we can play like we did tonight, and improve a couple more aspects, we'll very much be in this world cup"
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 30, 2019
Strong stuff from Gregor Townsend after @scotlandteam beat Samoa in Kobe #RWC2019 #SCOvSAM pic.twitter.com/cDaeHBHmZ5
