Scotland Crushes Tonga 56-0: Van der Merwe Leads Rout at Murrayfield

Duhan van der Merwe regained the lead in the top try scorer table for Scotland, surpassing Darcy Graham, in a match where Gregor Townsend’s team demonstrated their superiority with a resounding 56-0 victory over Tonga at Murrayfield. The match, which closed an autumn with ups and downs for the Scots, showed the difference in level between both teams. Scotland’s series of matches was defined by the results against New Zealand and Argentina, so the visit of Tonga, ranked 19th in the world ranking, was crucial to maintain the good pace. The Scottish dominance was evident from the start, with a score of 21-0 at halftime thanks to tries from Jamie Ritchie, George Turner and Max Williamson. Tonga’s indiscipline, with the red card to Semisi Paea and three other yellow cards, made the way easier for the locals. Van der Merwe, with his try number 35 at international level, regained the lead in the scoring table, followed by his teammate Graham. Substitutes Ewan Ashman and George Horne also shone, scoring two tries each in the last quarter of the match.

From the start, Tonga was overwhelmed. The early yellow card to Paea, converted to red after review, conditioned the game. Scotland took advantage of this to score their first three tries. The first try arrived in the 10th minute, courtesy of Ritchie. Turner, in his 50th match with the national team, also celebrated with a try. Williamson completed the scoring streak in the 23rd minute. Despite Tonga’s return to its full formation, the situation did not improve for the visitors. Mataele received a yellow card, which further complicated the situation. Scotland, aware of the previous defeat against Argentina after leading 21-0, did not get complacent. Tonga’s indiscipline, with yellow cards to Filimone and Inisi, sealed their aspirations. Van der Merwe extended the Scottish lead in the 59th minute. Ashman and Horne completed the rout with their double scores.