Captain Stuart Hogg became Scotland’s record test try scorer as he led his side to a nervous 29-20 victory over brave Japan in their autumn series clash at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Fullback Hogg moved past Tony Stanger and Ian Smith at the top of the all-time list as he bagged his 25th try, while Scotland also scored through wings Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham, and replacement hooker Stuart McInally.
Japan typically tried to run the ball at every opportunity and made numerous visits to Scotland’s 22, though the home side slowed the ball down each time to halt their momentum. They scored a try through loose forward Tevita Tatafu to go with five penalties for Rikiya Matsuda.
Scotland will be unhappy with the performance but made it three wins from their four autumn series matches after victories over Tongo and Australia, to go with a defeat to world champions South Africa, while for Japan it was just their sixth test since they hosted the 2019 Rugby World Cup.