Darcy Graham runs in four as Scotland roar to 12-try rout of Romania
Scotland’s Darcy Graham celebrates after scoring with Ben Healy. Pic: ©INPHO/Craig Watson
Reports of Scotland’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Romania were routed here, comprehensively outclassed by opponents that tore into their task with determination and precision.
The Oaks have now conceded 242 points in three matches and their limitations have been ruthlessly exposed. All that matters for Scotland, though, is that a second consecutive bonus-point victory has set up an unmissable encounter with Ireland in Paris next Saturday night. Step by step, the Scots have created a chance to earn what looked an unlikely place in the last eight.
They scored 12 tries, the attacking bonus point was wrapped by six minutes before half-time, and a team showing 13 changes might have passed for the first XV. Former Munster fly-half Ben Healy was flawless off the tee, booting 10 conversions and scoring a try in the second half, finishing with 25 points. Bath’s Cameron Redpath and Gloucester’s Chris Harris made hay in midfield while the super-charged wing Darcy Graham wrapped up a hat-trick before half time and ended with four.
Space and time will be considerably harder to come by against Ireland but still, but this dominant display demonstrated the options available to the head coach Gregor Townsend.
From the moment the travelling “Tartan Army” were given a warm welcome via the public address system at St Pancras on Saturday morning, it was shaping up to be a good day. Scottish supporters travelled in their thousands and the mood in Lille was suitably optimistic on another unseasonably warm evening. From the start, Scotland’s continuity in possession was impressive. It was only a matter of time before their patterns forced their opponent’s defensive line to rupture.
To their credit Romania tackled hard and held out for nine minutes. It was Redpath of Bath, on his third start for his country, who created the first with a dynamic raid into the 22. He was tackled short but offered a sympathetic offload to Hamish Watson who darted over on the right.
Graham was soon haring through the middle and offloaded to the scrum-half, Ali Price, who ran in unopposed. Graham was everywhere and arrowed through an increasingly disorganised Romanian line to make it 21-0 after just 22 minutes. Healy, on his Rugby World Cup debut, was orchestrating things nicely from No 10.
Ollie Smith spilled a ball with the try-line beckoning, a welcome stroke of good fortune for Romania, but their evening would soon get worse when Robert Irimescu doled out a shoulder charge to the head of Healy and was sent to the sin bin.
Inevitably, the referee Wayne Barnes deferred the decision on whether or not it was a red card to the foul play review officer. Florian Rosu was promptly shown a yellow card for coming in at the side of a Scotland maul.
Graham sprinted over on 34 minutes for Scotland’s fourth, bonus point secure. Healy belted another superb kick through the middle and the prospect of another cricket score conceded by the Oaks came into view.
Matt Fagerson romped over for the fifth try - converted by Healy - while Marius Simionescu, the full-back, became the latest Romanian to have a yellow card waved in his direction by Barnes. That meant Romania were down to 12 men, and Harris wasted no time in sniffing out a gap to run through, galloping across halfway and teeing up Graham for his hat-trick score. That made it 42-0 at half-time and a round figure of 200 points conceded in the space of two and a half matches for Romania.
Dark blue waves kept crashing. Harris became the fifth different scorer of the night when he skipped over on the left, and Graham nearly had a fourth on the opposite side but put a foot in touch.
Smith, the full-back, soon wrestled over and Healy stroked over yet another immaculate kick. A reward for his quite brilliant performance off the tee was a run under the posts to make it 61-0.
On debut, the replacement Johnny Matthews roared down the middle for the 10th try and Rory Darge, another replacement, quickly added No 11. Darcy soon sealed the rout with his fourth. Job done; all eyes on Paris next weekend.
Guardian
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