Alesana Tuilagi ban reduced by World Rugby committee after appeal

With the quarter-finals looming, Vern Cotter is looking to address his side’s slow starts starting with Saturday.

Eddie Jones may end the World Cup in anger if Japan make the United States their third scalp of the World Cup on Sunday but do not get a historic quarter-final place.

He said: “We are extremely motivated”.

Scotland assistant coach Duncan Hodge, commented, “We didn’t do ourselves justice against South Africa so now we’re on to a big match, a winner-takes-all situation”. Throughout the tournament, no-one else has made more tackles without missing one.

Departing with three wins out of four would be plenty to be proud of but first they must beat a United States side desperate to secure a victory before they head home. I still think they are a risky team.

“Everything we do is going to have an effect on the game, whether it’s a bit of good play or a little mistake”.

We love our sport in Scotland so it was bitterly disappointing that the football boys couldn’t qualify last night.

The Scots know it is likely to be win or bust on Saturday.

Pictured at the hand-over are: Elinor Middlemass, general team manager for Commonwealth Games Scotland; Dr Jonathan Hanson, lead clinician at the Dr Mackinnon Memorial Hospital in Broadford; Craig Maclean, swimmer and flag bearer for the Games; Dr Ben Matavalu, chief medical officer for the Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa; and a representative of the Samoan Red Cross.

Judicial officer Simon Thomas of Wales had considered a seven week ban but brought it down because of Blevins’ “conduct prior to and at the hearing, his remorse, good character and disciplinary record”, said a World Rugby statement. Tuilagi’s World Cup is over though as he will miss Saturday’s game against Scotland.

First-choice flyhalf Finn Russell returns for Scotland after missing the defeat by South Africa.

The Samoans are traditionally respected for their rampaging forward play and exciting backline ambition, but neither trait was in evidence as they conceded a run of 26 unanswered points to a Japanese side who encountered little resistance as they quickly established a dominance at both the set-piece and in the loose.

He said: “The longer these teams stay in a game the quicker they grow arms and legs”. It was just about waiting to see who would be ready and who wouldn’t.

“That’s something we expect of them, something we’ve talked about and trained for. We know they will come hard and come physical in that first half-hour for sure”. We’ve got a lot of talent but we haven’t shown anything of it all tournament.