29-14 loss to Fiji marks unhappy hat-trick for Scottish national rugby team head coach Gregor Townsend

That 29-14 summer tour defeat in Suva was only the Scots’ third loss to the Fijians ever and Townsend has been involved in all three.

The first, by 51-26 in the Fijian capital in May 1998, was the hosts’ first victory against a Five Nations team, and the second, by 27-22 at the same ground in June 2017, was the 52-year-old’s first loss as Scottish head coach.

Townsend was playing at fly-half 27 years ago for a team with Melrose’s Jim Telfer as head coach and also featuring the Greenyards side’s Bryan Redpath, Hawick’s Cameron Murray and Kelso’s Adam Roxburgh.

The Scots’ second loss to Fiji 19 years later was the 82-times-capped former Gala player’s third game in charge of the national team, following on from wins by 34-13 victory versus Italy in Singapore and 24-19 against Australia in Sydney, and it was also Kelso’s Ross Ford’s 110th and last for his country, overtaking the record of 109 caps set by Gala’s Chris Paterson six years earlier.

Townsend named two fellow Borderers in his starting line-up for Scotland’s 12th game against Fiji, Hawick’s Darcy Graham and Rory Sutherland, at right-winger and loosehead prop respectively.

Graham, 28, played for the first 66 minutes before being sent off by referee Ben O’Keeffe for picking up a second caution for an interception from an offside position denying a goal-scoring opportunity, following his first yellow card 31 minutes prior for an early tackle on Sireli Maqala. Adding injury to insult, he also dislocated a finger just before going off.

The Edinburgh winger’s two sin-binnings were among three for the visitors, with hooker Ewan Ashman also being yellow-carded, on ten minutes, for not releasing the ball.

Sutherland, 32, was on the pitch for the first 55 minutes of the weekend’s defeat before making way for Alec Hepburn.

Joining No 14 Graham, No 1 Sutherland and No 2 Ashman in the Scots’ starting XV, captained by ex-Southern Knight Rory Darge, were Kyle Rowe, Cameron Redpath, Tom Jordan, Kyle Steyn, Fergus Burke, Jamie Dobie, Elliot Millar Mills, Marshall Sykes, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie and Matt Fagerson.

Alongside Hepburn, 32, on the bench were George Turner, Will Hurd, Max Williamson, Josh Bayliss, George Horne, Adam Hastings and Ollie Smith.

Graham – scorer of four tries during Scotland’s last game against Fiji, a 57-17 victory at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium in November – is now on 47 caps and Sutherland on 42.

Full-back Rowe and inside-centre Jordan scored Scotland’s tries, both converted by debutant fly-half Burke.

Captain Tevita Ikanivere, Kalaveti Ravouvou and Jiuta Wainiqolo touched down for their hosts, also awarded a penalty try for Graham’s second yellow card, and Caleb Muntz kicked two conversions and a penalty.

“Fiji deserved to win,” Townsend conceded afterwards, blaming indiscipline for his team’s troubles.

“They had a lot of opportunities to put us under pressure in our 22. They were physical and obviously they’re a quality team, but we’re disappointed in our own performance and that we gave them so many opportunities to put pressure on us.

“The penalty count was too high, three yellow cards, and that makes it very tough to win any test match. Up against a quality side at home, it’s always going to be really difficult.

“There were 14 penalties and three yellow cards and most of them were in our control, so that’s unusual for us to give away so many penalties and yellow cards.

“That fatigues us when we’re a man down and also gives the opposition opportunities in our 22, and eventually those opportunities told for Fiji and they got the tries.

“The biggest area of improvement for us is making sure we don’t let a team like Samoa get chances in our 22 because we’ve given away a penalty for whatever reason.

“We felt up front with our scrum and our maul, that was creating go-forward, and maybe we could have got more penalties out of it because we were certainly the dominant team on scrum and maul.

“Outside of that, our defence at times looked really in control, with some very good tackles going in and a lot of effort.”

Though acknowledging that his team weren’t disciplined enough, Townsend reckons Graham’s bookings were harsh, saying: “The game is a compact game and players are body-to-body a lot, so I don’t know how we can then make that first one an incident that’s a yellow card.

“I’d have to look at it again but at the time I thought they were very harsh – I’m not sure if the first one was going to hand anyway – but the referee makes his calls, and as soon as he’s made the call in that area, you know it’s going to be a yellow card, a potential penalty try. That really affected the scoreline for them, but I don’t want the focus to be on the referee. It’s got to be how we can change things and make sure that our discipline, which has been really good in recent games, stays under ten penalties and there are no yellow cards.”