Scotland weather Chile physicality to claim eight-try victory in Santiago
Kyle Rowe for Scotland.
Scotland picked up their third straight triumph on their Americas tour after they overcame a physical Chile side 52-11 in Santiago on Saturday.
Josh Bayliss, Kyle Rowe (2), Jamie Dobie (2), Matthew Currie, Dylan Richardson and Kyle Steyn all crossed the whitewash while Ben Healy and Adam Hastings added extras.
A combative Chile outfit managed to cross just once, through replacement Diego Escobar, but they defended superbly throughout, especially at the ruck to frustrate Scotland.
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Forwards Ewan Johnson, Nathan McBeth and Will Hurd were all handed their first Scotland starts, while leadership trio Jamie Ritchie, Sione Tuipulotu and Steyn – who shifted from his usual position on the wing to play at centre – were the only players to start the game who had more than 10 caps to their name.
The tourists struggled in the early stages and were behind at the end of the first quarter after Santiago Videla’s penalty got the passionate Chileans up and running in the 11th minute.
Scotland gradually began to feel their way into the match, however, and they claimed the lead in the 22nd minute when back-rower Bayliss showed good feet to push his way over from close range, with Healy adding the extras.
The hosts reduced the deficit to one point shortly afterwards with a penalty from Tomas Salas but the Scots started to exert their authority in the closing stages of the half.
Just before the half-hour, Rowe waltzed in off the left to score his first Scotland try, but the visitors could consider themselves fortunate that the officials did not deem Tuipulotu’s pass in the build-up to have gone forward. Healy converted.
Dobie – playing on the wing instead of his usual scrum-half berth – then finished off the Scots’ third try of the evening in the 35th minute following an exquisite pass out to the right from Healy, who was on point once more from the tee.
Hooker Richardson almost added another in the 39th minute but was held up on the line.
Dobie enjoyed another easy finish five minutes after the break when, following a lineout on the left, the Scots worked the ball clinically through hands to the right, with Rowe laying it on a plate for his Glasgow colleague to bound over. Healy was off target with his conversion from wide on the right.
Chile got one back in the 50th minute when replacement hooker Escobar bulldozed his way through Gus Warr and Arron Reed off the back of a maul, although Salas’ conversion attempt drifted just wide.
Edinburgh back Currie raced away for his first Scotland try in the 58th minute, with fellow substitute Hastings converting.
Rowe then scurried over for his second of the evening in the 65th minute after another slick Scottish move from left to right while Escobar was in the sin-bin following some cynical play.
Richardson pushed over in the 73rd minute before Steyn darted clear to seal an ultimately comfortable eight-try victory in virtually the last action of the match.
The teams
Chile: 15 Diego Warnken, 14 Cristobal Game, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 12 Santiago Videla, 11 Matias Garafulic, 10 Tomas Salas, 9 Lucas Berti, 8 Alfonso Escobar Alvarez, 7 Raimundo Martinez, 6 Martin Sigren, 5 Javier Eissmann, 4 Clemente Saavedra, 3 Matias Dittus, 2 Augusto Bohme, 1 Javier Carrasco Albornoz
Replacements: 16 Diego Escobar, 17 Salvador Lues, 18 Inaki Gurruchaga, 19 Santiago Pedrero Poduje, 20 Joaquin Milesi, 21 Marcelo Torrealba, 22 Benjamin Videla, 23 José Larenas
Scotland: 15 Kyle Rowe, 14 Jamie Dobie, 13 Kyle Steyn, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Arron Reed, 10 Ben Healy, 9 Gus Warr, 8 Josh Bayliss, 7 James Ritchie, 6 Gregor Brown, 5 Ewan Johnson, 4 Alexander Craig, 3 Will Hurd, 2 Dylan Richardson, 1 Nathan McBeth
Replacements: 16 Patrick Harrison, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Javan Sebastian, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Rory Darge, 21 Adam Hastings, 22 Stafford McDowall, 23 Matthew Currie
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (IRFU), Gonzalo De Achaval (UAR)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)