SCOTLAND lost 43-5 to New Zealand this afternoon in the last 16 of the Rugby World Cup Sevens and will now drop down to the subsidiary Challenge competition in the three-day event in Cape Town.
The Scots got through to the round of 16 with a solid 24-7 win over Jamaica in the morning’s preliminary round, but they were second best right from the start against the New Zealanders, who took the lead in the first minute and were 24-0 ahead at the break. Lee Jones got the first score of the second half to give his team a glimmer of hope, but Harvey Elms missed the conversion attempt. New Zealand quickly regained control after that and ran in three tries to add to the four they had scored in the first half.
The Scots try-scorers against Jamaica were Jamie Farndale (two), Femi Sofolarin and Kaleem Barreto. Matt Davidson added two conversions.
Well done Ireland who, in no time at all, have produced a medal-winning team. How can they make progress like this, when all the other home countries struggle to reach the quarter final stage?
It’s always amazing what can be achieved when rugby in a country is run competently isn’t it?
Generally very poor stuff from Scotland, over chasing in defence and largely clueless in attack. Only bright spots were Lee Jones and Kaleem Barreto. Everyone else was yards of the pace of the game
Yet another article on the last knockings of a once-respected institution.
Over and out, for whom the bell tolls, as it were, Nick…. Probably more appropriate to be in the 2nd tier competition anyway.
Sevens, Women, U-20’s – will this set the scene for an inexorable slide at XV’s as well? Tier 2 beckons, and the hungry pack are increasingly out there snapping at Scottish heels.