Scotland will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Fiji when they conclude their mid-year tour with a clash against Samoa out at Eden Park.
Samoa v Scotland | Friday 18 July | Eden Park
To Win (80 Mins)
Samoa | Draw | Scotland
Handicap
Samoa | Scotland
Samoa get their only taste of international rugby before the Pacific Nations Cup as they head to New Zealand to take on the ‘Scots, who have already played against the Maori All Blacks and Fiji.
The ‘Scots have performed pretty well considering they are missing big guns, Pierre Schoeman, Finn Russell, Blair Kinghorn, Huw Jones and Sione Tuipolotu who are all in Australia with the British and Irish Lions.
They got their tour underway against the Maori All Blacks winning a thrilling fixture 26-29, with their defence coming up trumps right at the death as they defended multiple rolling mauls to hang on for a three-point win.
Gregor Townsend’s men were unable to get the business done this past weekend, however, as they were beaten 29-14 by Fiji in Suva. The ‘Scots looked rather devoid of ideas on attack against the Fijians, which was somewhat surprising considering how tidy they were with ball-in-hand against the Maori All Blacks.
While Samoa are yet to play a fixture in 2025, they did enjoy a decent 024 season, which saw them beat the USA, Tonga, Spain and Italy. They have also selected a tidy squad for this one-off Test that features Michael Allatoa and impressive young gun Niko Jones.
Verdict: Samoa (+)
I reckon Samoa will give the ‘Scots a real run here. They’ve got some tidy players in their squad who will be looking to make a mark on the international stage.
