The home of Newcastle United will stage a rare top of the table clash on Saturday.
Pool B leaders Scotland will go into their pivotal meeting with South Africa on the back of a superb second half performance against the United States.
Vern Cotter’s men really needed it after a dire opening period, which saw them trail 13-6 at the break. You suspect the heat blankets were utilised in the Elland Park dressing rooms to protect the Scottish players from the roasting their Kiwi coach must have doled out.
To avoid having the rug pulled from under them, the Scots needed to cancel out Titi Lamositele’s 20th minute try.
They went about doing so ruthlessly. Tim Visser, Sean Maitland, Willem Nel, Matt Scott and Duncan Weir all running in tries as Scotland won 39-16 – thus denying the Americans the biggest scalp in their World Cup history.
Two wins over Japan and a victory over Russia remain the extent of their achievements but the first half performance of the team marshalled by former Blackrock student AJ MacGinty suggest there is a big result in this team.
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