A sensational attacking display from Scotland saw Philip Doyle’s side run in eight tries against South Africa in Cape Town to begin their season with an emphatic 47-5 win.
Rhona Lloyd and Chloe Rollie both scored first-half braces before Megan Gaffney, Lisa Thomson and Abi Evans (2) completed the scoring for the tourists after the restart.
Fielding a team packed with players who competed in the Women’s Six Nations earlier this year, Scotland began the first of their two tests in Cape Town like a house on fire.
A good initial break by Lana Skeldon prompted an infringement from the Springboks, allowing Thomson to pile on the early pressure with a kick to touch.
The opening try in Athlone followed moments later when Rollie crossed the whitewash in the sixth minute, with Lloyd adding Scotland’s second try with a solo run two minutes later.
Sarah Law made up for her first conversion attempt by slotting her second effort and the Springboks soon found themselves in more trouble when they were reduced to 14 players.
And it did not take long for Scotland to take advantage of their extra player, with Lloyd dashing down the line for her second of the game before the end of the first quarter.
Scotland’s fourth try then arrived as half-time approached, with Rollie combining with Lloyd to match her teammate’s double to give the visitors a comfortable 22-0 lead.
The tourists were just as impressive in defence as they were in attack, denying the Springboks twice on the brink of half-time to keep the hosts scoreless going into the interval.
Despite South Africa showing signs of recovery, Scotland remained in control after the restart and soon had their fifth try through Gaffney’s explosive break and touch down.
The hosts did pull one back on 46 minutes but a Law penalty put the tourists 30-5 ahead before Thomson raced over for Scotland’s sixth try of the match, converted by Law.
A late cameo from Evans off the bench capped off a perfect afternoon at the City Park Sports Ground, with the winger scoring twice in the closing minutes.
