Scotland ... 36 Fiji ... 22: Before this encounter Scotland's director of rugby Jim Telfer had asked for his team to be "ruthless", but for much of the match they were embarrassingly poor. Andy Craig saved a few blushes with a hat- trick of tries but even the Orrell centre was not immune from criticism as several times the former rugby league player refused to make an obvious pass.
"We made mistakes," said the head coach Ian McGeechan, "or just didn't complete things as we wanted to." With 25 minutes left Fiji might have made the same claim after a disallowed try that would have given them the lead. Scotland scored next and pulled away but under floodlights yesterday they were never able to put daylight between themselves and determined opponents.
Gregor Townsend had an uncomfortable return to the Scottish team with his handling the worst of a bad bunch and the crowd reserved their biggest cheer for his late replacement Gordon Ross.
The best rugby of the match came from Fiji who scored a peach of a try on the 80-minute mark which included a rare burst of pace from the prop Isaia Rasila and a cameo role from Waisele Serevi.
The opening section of the match was a shapeless affair with neither side able to impose their own pattern on proceedings. At least Craig knows his way to the line as the centre finished off the only two moves of note in the first half. His first try came from a turnover when Brendan Laney made the outside break before finding Nikki Walker in support who popped the ball back inside to Craig to score.
His second came courtesy of the fullback Andy Hinshelwood who scampered up the left touchline and looked capable of scoring himself before throwing the ball inside where Craig carried several Fijian bodies across the line with him.
Fiji threatened to make a match of it with a couple of penalties from Joseph Narruhn.
With the half-time score giving Scotland an unconvincing 18-12 advantage, the visitors were well in the match when Apinisa Naevo scored a try 10 minutes into the second half.
Minutes later Fiji thought they had scored again, but the try was ruled illegal and Fiji were penalised for bringing on a substitute without authority.
Laney kicked that penalty and then grabbed a try himself. Norman Ligairi scored the try of the Test when Fiji put the ball through umpteen hands in a sweeping move that started deep in their own half. Craig claimed his hat-trick of tries after good work from Stuart Moffat, and Stuart Grimes finished with his own try to give a veneer of respectability.
SCOTLAND: Hinshelwood (Worcester); Walker (Borders), Craig (Orrell), Laney (Edinburgh), Paterson (Edinburgh; Moffat h-t); Townsend (Borders; Ross 70), Redpath (Sale, capt; Beveridge 75); Smith (Northampton), Bulloch (Glasgow, Scott 70), Douglas (Borders), White (Glasgow; Hines 25), Grimes (Newcastle), Taylor (Edinburgh), Pountney (Northampton), Petrie (Glasgow; Leslie 57). Tries: Craig 3, Laney, Grimes. Con: Laney. Pens: Laney 3.
FIJI: Nariva; Lasagavibau, Ruivadra, Bai (Satala, 49), Ligairi; Narruhn, Rauluni (Serevi, 70); Rasila, Smith, Cavubati, Naevo, Raiwalui, Koyamaibole, Mocelutu (Gadolo, 76), Tawake (Katalau, 70). Tries: Naevo, Ligairi. Pens: Narruhn 4. Sin-bin: Koyamaibole, 21.
Referee: M Lawrence (South Africa).
