Darcy Graham notched four times to briefly move joint top of Scotland’s all-time try-scoring list, only for his fellow Edinburgh wing Duhan van der Merwe to climb back ahead of him with a late touchdown of his own in a comfortable 57-17 victory over Fiji at Murrayfield.
Glasgow centre Sione Tuipulotu kicked off his captaincy of Gregor Townsend’s team, but it was Graham who stole the show in his first Test outing since the World Cup defeat by Ireland in Paris 13 months ago.
The 27-year-old’s haul took him from joint third at the start of the match to level with Van der Merwe on the 28-try mark before the South Africa-born back reclaimed his place at the top with his 72nd-minute score.
Kyle Rowe opened the scoring and Huw Jones added a double as the Scots overcame a wobble either side of half-time to put the Fijians to the sword before their visit from world champions South Africa next Sunday.
Scotland enjoyed a sustained spell of early pressure and it brought a fourth-minute yellow card for Fiji scrum-half Frank Lomani who was penalised for a deliberate knock-on as he intercepted Adam Hastings’ pass.
The hosts thought they had gone ahead in the eighth minute when Ewan Ashman got himself in off the back of a maul but it was ruled out after Pierre Schoeman was deemed to have impeded Ponipate Loganimasi as he tried to tackle the hooker.
The Scots had to wait only a further minute to open the scoring, however, as full-back Rowe finished off a flowing move just left of the posts after being fed by Hastings, who went on to add the extras.
Fiji’s chastening start continued as they were temporarily reduced to 13 men in the 13th minute when Apisalome Vota was shown yellow as a result of his team’s persistent infringements.
The centre had to watch on helplessly from the sidelines as Scotland ran in three more tries during his time in the sin-bin.
Graham started it after a one-two on the right with Ashman in the 15th minute and added his second of the match just three minutes later after fastening on to Hastings’ nicely weighted kick. There was an element of fortune attached to it, however, with the ball just skimming the Edinburgh wing’s boot as his attempted grubber kick, which sent him free of the Fiji defence, almost went awry.
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Fiji’s calamitous start continued when Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula’s pass was intercepted by Jones, who bolted clear for Scotland’s fourth try in the opening quarter of the match. Hastings converted, giving the Scots a 26-0 lead.
Just as the visitors looked to be imploding, they summoned some resolve in the closing stages of the first half. Scotland hooker Ashman was sent to the sin-bin in the 33th minute for going off his feet while defending on the line and Fiji immediately took advantage as Armstrong-Ravula bulldozed over on the left. The tryscorer was off target with the conversion and
Scotland seemed to have got themselves back on track with a Hastings penalty
but after Rowe was forced off injured and replaced by the Glasgow back Tom Jordan on his debut, Fiji crossed again in the last action of the half as back-rower Ratu Derenalagi got away from Tuipulotu. Armstrong-Ravula again missed the conversion and the Scots went in with a 29-10 interval lead.
Scotland’s advantage was reduced further in the 49th minute when the Fiji hooker Tevita Ikanivere scored from a lineout, with Armstrong-Ravula converting. Graham then dotted over twice either side of the hour mark and left the field to rapturous applause in the 66th minute as Scotland’s joint leading scorer. Van der Merwe swiftly altered that scenario when he bolted clear, and Jones sealed the victory with the home side’s eighth try a minute from the end.
