19-try Scotland set points record

Men’s U20 Trophy

SCOTLAND smashed the U20 Trophy points-scoring record with a 123-15 win over Samoa in Pool A at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh as they began their hunt for promotion to the U20 World Championship after last season’s disappointing third place finish.

Winger Finlay Doyle and full-back Fergus Watson both scored hattricks, while hooker Jerry Blyth-Lafferty got two as Scotland ran in 19 tries.

Brothers Ryan and Ollie Burke, Robbie Deans, Blyth-Lafferty, Johnny Ventisei, Conor McAlpine, Andrew McLean – who also kicked 12 conversions – all scored before captain Liam McConnell took the hosts past the points record. The rangy McConnell broke clear again to set up a score for Jack Hocking as Samoa tired, and Gavin Parry rounded off the try scoring three minutes from time. Second row Totoa Auvaa scored twice for Samoa.

Japan had earlier broken the record for most points scored in an U20 Trophy match as they blitzed Hong Kong China 105-20 in the opening match in Pool A in the competition’s first all-Asian tie.

Naoya Okubo’s team ran in 17 tries as they surpassed Namibia’s 104-7 win against Cayman Islands in 2009.

Winger Kent Iioka was the star of the show with two tries in each half, while hooker Kenshin Shimizu also scored a hat-trick.

In Pool B, last year’s losing finalists Uruguay made hard work of beating Kenya in the second match of the day, with the result still in doubt until Los Teritos scored two tries in the final quarter.

USA survived a concerted second-half fightback from U20 Trophy debutants the Netherlands to win the final match of the day 44-33. US flyer Keelan Farrell, who helped Esher win promotion to National One last season, scored four first-half tries.