With their upcoming clash against the Springboks in mind, Scotland will be aiming to sharpen up when Pacific Nations Cup winners Fiji visit Murrayfield on Saturday. Shaun Goosen previews.
Autumn Internationals
Scotland v Fiji
Saturday 2 November – 19:40
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Scotland will no doubt look to Saturday’s encounter against Fiji as prep for what will be a far sterner test against the back-to-back world champions next week. Shaun Goosen previews.
To Win Match
Scotland 1/20 | Draw 40/1 | Fiji 8/1
Handicap
Scotland (-20.5) 9/10 | Fiji (+20.5) 9/10
Gregor Townsend has assembled a strong Scottish roster for their upcoming matches this month, with in-form Sione Tuipulotu named captain and the likes of Darcy Graham, D’Arcy Rae (both Edinburgh) and Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints) all earning recalls. Hollywoodbets Sharks hooker-cum-loose forward Dylan Richardson is another inclusion, and it will be interesting to see just how much game time he gets over the coming weeks.
Tuipulotu, who scored a try and assisted two more during Glasgow’s recent win over the Stormers in Stellenbosch, will be particularly motivated to show what he can do while wearing the captain’s armband after spearheading Warriors’ charge in the URC this season. He could well find himself paired up with Huw Jones in a classic Huipulotu midfield combination, with co-vice-captain Finn Russell inside of them pulling the strings.
With Scotland’s last game coming against Uruguay back in July, the priority for Townsend and his men should be to hone their team synergy ahead of their almighty showdown with the Springboks next week, and the familiarity of their established partnerships should stand them in good stead.
Fiji’s last outing came in their 41-17 thrashing of hosts Japan in the Pacific Nations Cup Grand Final in September and they’ll be playing with real confidence following those title-winning exploits. Mick Byrne’s Pacific Islanders will definitely inflict some hurt on the hosts in broken field if Scotland lose focus and structure, but ultimately the Brave Hearts should be good enough to claim a comfortable victory in the end.
Verdict: Scotland (-20.5)
They won’t have it all their own way, but Scotland should take the win quite comfortably at Murrayfield.
