Scotland roll a flat Samoa

Samoa's night out at their home away from home turned into a Scottish benefit at Wellington's Cake Tin last night.

Scotland were wearing all the smiles well before the end on a bleak night in the capital, as they put a run of six successive test defeats behind them in tonking Manu Samoa, scoring five tries to none.

The final score of Scotland 38 Samoa 3 was Scotland's biggest winning margin in a test since turning over the United States in San Francisco by 42 points two years ago.

It was their biggest win over the islanders in five contests and will give them a jab of confidence ahead of the much tougher challenge against Australia in the first of two tests in Melbourne in eight days time.

From the time impressive centre Ben Hinshelwood scored Scotland's second try a minute into the second spell the indicators were all grim for Semo Sititi's men.

Scotland dominated the lineouts from the outset, where Scott Murray and Stuart Grimes were in charge. They produced a steady scrum, had a sparky halfback in Chris Cusiter who was at the hub of much that was good about the Scots' game, and defended stoutly.

There have been days the Scots' defence has had more leaks than a dodgy drainpipe, but with Hinshelwood and Andy Henderson in midfield showing the way, there was much to admire about their tenacity when they did not have the ball.

Poor Samoa. They had opted to play the game in New Zealand rather than Apia, hoping for a decent financial haul. It was a grim night, just 11,000 turned up and they simply never got into the contest. They dropped ball, lacked organisation and at times did not seem tuned in for the battle.

Take away some energetic work in the first half from the ageless Brian Lima, non-stop effort from Tanner Vili at fullback and the odd short period of continuity and it was a night to forget.

It has been a poor season for Scotland's new Australasian coaching pair of Australian Matt Williams and former All Black captain Todd Blackadder. They lost all their Six Nations matches, then copped a 41-5 pounding from Queensland a week ago. So they were entitled to enjoy themselves last night.

Much of the first half was scrappy but warning bells were sounding as the Samoans struggled to get a share of possession and territory.

It's just possible the game may have turned out much differently had Scotland's captain Chris Paterson not clung onto a rampant Lima, who could see daylight and the tryline 35 metres ahead early at 3-3.

Paterson's second penalty had the visitors 6-3 ahead, before the Scots got the decisive break when impressive first five-eighths Gordon Ross sold a dummy and ducked between two tacklers to finish a strong period of attack shortly before the interval.

Hinshelwood's try, when Samoa failed to take the second-half kickoff and the ball went left to an overlap, was critical.

No 8 Alistair Hogg got over for Scotland's third try after Cusiter pinched the ball from a messy Samoan scrum in reverse. Vili did get over the Scots' line but was pinged for a double movement by referee Kelvin Deaker before the last two tries from winger Simon Webster and replacement halfback Michael Blair.

Samoa must now lift themselves for their test against Fiji in Apia next weekend. Few did their hopes of Pacific Island selection for their three-test tour much good last night.

Scotland 38 (G. Ross, B. Hinshelwood, A. Hogg, S. Webster, M. Blair tries; C. Patterson 3 pen, 1 con; D. Parks con) Samoa 3 (R. Warren pen). HT: 11-3.