Scotland braced for Fiji backlash after learning lessons in Pretoria

In the wake of South Africa's win over Scotland in Pretoria on Saturday, head coach Rassie Erasmus, in full tummy-tickling mode, praised the visitors to the hilt, listing their big wins against Argentina, France and England this year before calling them the third best team in the world.

Kind words, but nonsense, of course. Scotland were terrific for large parts in Pretoria, but they lost.

And, as Scotland's forwards coach John Dalziel said on Tuesday, such praise isn't really worth a damn to them anymore, not unless it comes with the breakthrough victories they now desperately crave.

"We're not that type of team anymore," said Dalziel, before Scotland's final game in their summer programme, against Fiji at Murrayfield on Saturday.

He is expecting the visitors to deliver a "backlash" after getting monstered by England last weekend.

Dalziel was asked if all the garlands being thrown at his team's style of play meant much when they ended up losing.

"We're very clear on who we are and what we are," he said. "It's pretty clear when you look through it, we did enough to get 11 entries into the [South Africa] red zone and it's about taking those moments.

"The good thing is we're creating opportunities. We just need to be more clinical.

"Some of the little errors we've seen at the weekend are probably not recurring errors, they're just moments that haven't been there before - a skill error.

"We just ruined a couple of moments and in any Test match now that's the difference."

It might be a cry that we've heard a lot in recent years but Dalziel, whose forwards were thunderously impressive in Pretoria, believes Scotland are beginning to close the gap on the game's elite.

"We're getting closer," he added. "We're learning from these teams because we're playing them more. We're on the right trajectory.

"It's not just that we've had a good performance, we're actually really disappointed that we haven't had the win and the language has changed massively around that.

"It's a game we expected to win. We're beyond trying to be performers now and giving ourselves a pat on the back. We want to win these games. We've still got that last bit of growing to do."

After the heroics of Cordoba in round one and the agony of Pretoria in round two, Scotland complete their first round of games in the new Nations Championship against Fiji in front of an expected crowd of around 50,000.

For Gregor Townsend, the mere mention of Fiji will evoke some tough memories - a bruising loss to them in only his third Test as Scotland coach and another, last summer, again in the hothouse of Suva.

The clearest recollection from both of those games is Fiji power, Fiji pace and Fiji points. They are one of the game's most curious teams.

At the World Cup in 2023 they beat Australia and should have beaten Wales while losing against Portugal and falling over the line against Georgia. In the quarter-final they scared the wits out of England, losing in the end by six points.

They are unbelievably formidable on those rare days when opposing nations dare to travel to play them in their own backyard - so few do - and can be incredibly loose and lax and ill-disciplined when playing away from home.

England put 73 points on them last weekend. Wales beat them by 15 the weekend before. In their last three visits to Edinburgh, Scotland have done them by 40, 16 and 37 points.

Townsend will not have Rory Darge or Kyle Steyn for this one, both are injured and will now disappear for some well-earned rest at the end of what must have felt like two seasons rolled into one.

The coach has promised changes but past experience will have taught him to approach Fiji with caution.

Given the depth in Scotland's squad these days, those alterations don't come with a whole lot of risk, though. It is not as if Townsend would be bringing in kids.

There might, for instance, be the return of Scotland's greatest-ever wing combination - in terms of tries.

There was a time, a blink of an eye ago, when Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham were certainties to start in every big Test. Now they are playing second fiddle to Kyle Rowe and Kyle Steyn.

Van der Merwe, with his injuries and his general lack of form, has been miles off it. Times have changed dramatically.

Gregor Hiddleston, so dynamic off the bench against the Boks, will surely start. Max Williamson was immense when he made his appearance in Pretoria.

Williamson's breakthrough game at this level was against South Africa at Murrayfield two years ago and Saturday's battle might be deemed his comeback game, after a quiet enough season.

Townsend might be missing Darge but he's got other likely lads to turn to - Liam McConnell at six and Freddy Douglas at seven. Both should make it into the 23. Scotland will look very different against Fiji, but it should still look like an impressive team.

Dalziel is respectful of Fiji, as he must be.

"I think we've all seen Fiji over the last couple of years as a team that got very far in the last World Cup and that have beaten us," he said.

"They beat us over in Fiji last year, by a decent margin as well. We had a few players away [with the Lions] but we know their quality.

"They'll be disappointed that their game didn't click last week against England, but we haven't seen many performances like that from them, so we're fully ready for a backlash."