Scotland ran in 13 tries at Scottish Gas Murrayfield to record a record-breaking 85-0 victory over the USA.
The match marked the first of Scotland’s four Quilter Nations series fixtures. The victory was Scotland’s biggest win at Murrayfield, acting as a celebration for the stadiums centenary.
Duhan van Der Merwe celebrated his 50th cap to a thunder of applause while Liam McConell and Harri Morris made their Scottish Debuts.
The tone was set early. Dylan Richardson drove over the line after concentrated pressure from the Scottish forwards driving out of a scrum. Almost from the restart a quick steal saw Jamie Dobie play the ball out wide to McConnell. McConnell’s pace and awareness made it clear why he was selected to step up for Scotland, the blind-side flanker flew from the halfway line and produced a one-handed pass that released van der Merwe to take the score.
Darcy Graham’s first of three arrived from a turnover and tidy delivery; his other two came from slick interplay between Dobie, Stafford McDowall and a well-weighted Adam Hastings pass. Dobie himself also crossed the try line three times for Scotland, displaying his versatility after moving out wide when Graham came off.
By half-time Scotland had amassed 45 points in a dominant display, winning the collision and breakdown battle and generating quick ball that freed their backs to exploit the USA’s defensive gaps.
Tactical kicking and a disciplined chase forced the USA into repeating the same exit situations, which Scotland immediately exploited to hunt down territory and more try scoring opportunities.
McConnell produced a lineout steal, with a succession of strong carries and his one-handed assist for van der Merwe capping of his promising debut. The bench also added to the dominance; Gregor Townsend made 5 changes at half time who maintained Scotland’s scoring momentum. Kyle Rowe scored in the 58th minute, Captain Stafford McDowall on 71, George Horne on 73 and Ollie Smith finished the scoring off in stoppage time.
Dobie’s own late try took his tally to three, the second hat-trick of the evening, and earned him Player of the Match.
Townsend highlighted their emphasis on the process, saying: “We just reset and went back to our process. I thought we were really clinical with our exits.”
The USA produced brief pockets of pressure, including several lineouts inside Scotland’s 22, but they could not maintain their possession or convert their pressure into points. A series of injuries and Head-injury assessments also disrupted any momentum they were able to generate.
There are 7 places between Scotland and the USA in the world rankings, and that difference was clear. Townsend and his staff will take confidence from how their young players performed and how their experienced heads showed form. Their next fixture, against the All Blacks, will demand Scottish consistency in their attacking variety and defensive efforts when tackling a better side.
