Controversial red card costs Scots in Springboks loss - report and ratings from Murrayfield clash

Scotland withstood a red card controversy and almost – but not quite - everything double world champions South Africa could throw at them in a blistering encounter at a packed Murrayfield. But Gregor Townsend’s men, hampered by the early loss of Scott Cummings, ultimately couldn’t get over the line to topple a Springboks side who ended up on the right side of a 32-15 scoreline.

On a day when English referee Christophe Ridley did little to endear himself to the home crowd, or the Scotland team for that matter, the hosts had chances. But they could not score a single try against the strongest defence in world rugby, meaning two first-half touchdowns from Makazole Mapimpi and one from Thomas Du Toit – plus the usual scattering of points from the boot of Handre Pollard – were enough to put South Africa in charge even before replacement Jasper Wiese rumbled over inside the final minute of play.

Scotland found themselves 5-0 down inside the opening 14 minutes, Mapimpi beating Tom Jordan in the left corner after collecting Handre Pollard’s cross-field kick while advantage was being played for the Boks. And Townsend’s men suffered another early blow when Scott Cummings was shown a yellow card for a mystery ruck infringement with just 11 minutes on the clock, his offence reversing a kickable penalty that Russell was already lining up.

Russell did bag his first points with the Scots down to 14 men, only for the momentum to shift again when it was announced that the Cummings yellow had been ‘upgraded’ to a 20-minute red card. Utterly baffling, for most at Murrayfield, with none of the replays shown on the big screen revealing any great crime against humanity.

With Cummings now banned from returning, his place eventually taken by Max Williamson, Scotland set about working the problem. They actually went 6-5 up through the boot of Russell, only for an overthrown line-out by the Boks to land in the paws of prop Thomas Du Toit, rather fortunately, for a walk-in try.

Mapimpi got his second of the afternoon from a delicate little Willie Le Roux chip, although by this stage of proceedings, the most influential man on the park was arguably ref Ridley, whose selective pickiness was beginning to annoy the Scots. Although they arguably only had themselves to blame when a Ben White try – converted by Russell – was pulled back, belatedly, for a Huw Jones knock-on.

Trailing 19-9 at the break, when they might have gone in just three points adrift, Scotland chipped away at the Springboks lead in the second half. And might have done much more than that, had a couple of blistering Huw Jones line breaks found a team-mate in position to finish.

But South Africa’s scrum dominance and the ever-popular Ridley’s interpretation of the game, combined with Scottish hands just dropping or knocking on the ball at the vital moment, contrived to keep the visitors always just out of reach, with Pollard punishing the Scots from the penalty tee.

The closest the home side got was when another Russell penalty under the posts made it 19-15 with 20 minutes remaining. But South Africa find a way, Even when Mapimpi was yellow carded, they held firm. And were rewarded for forward dominance – underlined by an entire murderers’ row of replacements who came on after 45 minutes – when Wiese touched down to put a gloss on the final points tally.