15 Blair Kinghorn Knocked on with the line in reach in the opening minutes and had several other errors strewn throughout the game. But despite that he did a lot right in attack, laying on a scoring pass for Duhan van der Merwe and claiming a touchdown of his own. 7
14 Kyle Steyn Got one try to add to the four he scored against Tonga on his first start in 2021, and justified his selection with some impressively solid defence as well as always being a threat in attack. 8
13 Chris Harris Like Steyn, back in the team after missing the defeat by South Africa, the defensive linchpin showed a lot of tenacity under pressure before giving way to Huw Jones ten minutes into the second half. 7
12 Sione Tuipulotu The son of a Tongan father, he took the South Sea side on at their own game with some uncompromisingly robust runs, and played just as important a role in defence. 8
11 Duhan van der Merwe Some shaky moments in defence early on, but he became increasingly influential in attack as the game wore on. Scored a try to edge ever closer to Stuart Hogg’s national record, and laid on another score for George Horne. 7
10 Finn Russell A poor clearance led to a Tonga try, but that error was well outweighed by his intelligent kicking from hand as well as some inspired passing. On the mark with five of his seven kicks at goal. Took over the captaincy after Jamie Ritchie’s enforced withdrawal. 8
9 Ben White Below his influential best, the scrum-half was under some pressure at the breakdown from the ferocious Tongan defence. Gave way to the lively George Horne. 6
1 Rory Sutherland A pleasingly robust performance in the loose from the unattached loosehead, who contributed well in defence too before being replaced by Pierre Schoeman. 8
2 George Turner Opened the scoring from a well-executed lineout drive, and was part of a significantly improved performance in the set piece as well as providing a useful decoy run out wide for Steyn’s try. 7
3 Zander Fagerson The Warriors tighthead held his own in the set piece and, although he did not hit top form, also provided some useful carries as Scotland steadily wore down the Tongan defence. 6
4 Richie Gray A good performance in the lineout and an assiduous one in defence made for a solid afternoon from the lock. 7
5 Scott Cummings Worked well with Warriors team-mate Gray at the set piece and also showed up well in open play at times, notably when chasing down a White kick into Tongan territory. 7
6 Jamie Ritchie Got his game off to a solid if somewhat quiet beginning before a hit to the head and subsequently a failed HIA ended his involvement. 6
7 Rory Darge Less conspicuous than usual in the first half - until, that is, his persistence paid off when he scored in time added on. More prominent after the break, he enjoyed a good tussle with Glasgow team-mate Sione Vailanu when the Tongan came off the bench. 6
8 Jack Dempsey Another who underperformed by his own high standards, although he did come close to scoring late in the first half. 7
Best of the rest
20 Matt Fagerson An unexpectedly early entrant to the fray after Ritchie’s injury, combining well with his Warriors colleagues in the back row.
21 George Horne Scored a try from a Van der Merwe break.
23 Darcy Graham Rounded off the day on a high note with a try on the end of a trademark mazy run.
