Van der Merwe Makes History as Scotland Rout Tonga
Duhan van der Merwe etched his name into the history books, becoming Scotland's all-time record try-scorer with his 35th international try during a comprehensive 56-0 victory over a ill-disciplined Tonga side at a rain-swept Murrayfield. The emphatic eight-try win provided a positive, if somewhat bittersweet, conclusion to Scotland's Autumn Nations Series, which had been marred by earlier defeats.
Red Card and Rampant Scots Seal First Half
The match's trajectory was set early when Tongan back-rower Semisi Paea was shown a yellow card in the 5th minute for a dangerous clearout, which was subsequently upgraded to a red card following a bunker review. Scotland, fielding a team with 14 changes from the previous week, capitalised ruthlessly on their numerical advantage.
Flanker Jamie Ritchie, making his first appearance of the autumn, powered over for the opening try in the 10th minute. The milestone moment followed as hooker George Turner celebrated his 50th cap by charging through a gap to score next to the posts. Lock Max Williamson then wriggled his way over from close range in the 23rd minute, with fly-half Fergus Burke adding all three conversions for a 21-0 half-time lead.
Record-Breaking Moment and Late Flourish
Any fears of a repeat of the previous week's collapse against Argentina were quickly dispelled as Tonga's discipline continued to crumble. The visitors saw three further players sent to the sin bin for yellow card offences. The historic moment arrived just before the hour mark.
After sustained pressure, substitute scrum-half George Horne created the opportunity, setting up Duhan van der Merwe to run clear and score the try that moved him one ahead of his Edinburgh teammate, Darcy Graham, at the top of Scotland's scoring charts. The floodgates reopened in the final quarter, with replacements Ewan Ashman and George Horne each crossing for a brace of tries to add a final, emphatic gloss to the scoreline.
The one-sided nature of the contest was reflected in the 56-0 final score, a result that leaves Gregor Townsend's squad with a victory to build upon, despite the overarching disappointment of their autumn campaign.
