SCOTLAND’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup were in the balance until the very end of this Pool B contest, but they just about deserved to go through thanks to a much-improved second half. A first-half blitz by the Samoans saw them score three tries and have another touchdown disallowed. But Scotland kept in touch to be only three points behind at half-time - 26-23 - and controlled the game for most of the second half. They still laboured to make their superior technique and fitness tell, however, and in the end they did just enough to go through to a last-eight meeting in eight days’ time with the winners of the Pool A decider between Wales and Australia.

The first half was not nearly as well structured as Scotland would have wanted, and they were only kept in touch thanks to Samoan indiscipline and the accuracy with the boot of Greig Laidlaw. Samoa found some gaps in the Scotland defence with worrying ease during their opening forays, and took the lead in the fifth minute through a Tusi Pisi penalty. Laidlaw soon had his team back on terms with a penalty given for collapsing the scrum, but then from the restart Samoa cut through the defence again for the first try of the game.

Their forwards did then the initial damage, forcing their way deep into the 22. A swift recycling got the ball out to Pisi wide on the right, and he just squeezed in at the corner under the tackle of Matt Scott, being awarded the try after a TMO review. The fly-half converted his own score.

The one glaring flaw in Samoa’s early play was their hastiness in throwing the ball around from deep, and they paid for that failing within a minute of the try. A wild, looping pass along the back line was cut out by Tommy Seymour, who gathered and touched down. The score was given after the TMO had reviewed the incident to decide whether the winger had deliberately knocked the ball forward before collecting it, and Laidlaw’s conversion took the score to 10-10.

The Samoan response was immediate, as their big men continued to barge their way all too simply deep into Scottish territory. Hooker Manu Leiataua made the final few metres for an unconverted score. A Laidlaw penalty, given after a good driving maul had been halted illegally, made it 15-13 to the Pacific islanders at the end of the first quarter.

Things got worse for Scotland a minute into the second 20 when another Samoan running attack simply sliced through the defence. This time centre Reynold Lee-Lo got the touchdown in the left corner, barging into Stuart Hogg on his way over the line. Pisi was again wide of the mark with his conversion attempt.

Gordon Reid came on at loosehead as Alasdair Dickinson was briefly taken off for a head-impact assessment. A handling offence in the ruck gave Laidlaw the chance to narrow the gap, and he took it to make the score 20-16.

Ryan Wilson was yellow-carded just before the half-hour for stamping on an opponent, and Tusi Pisi kicked a simple penalty to restore his team’s seven-point lead. The 14 men responded well, however, and an excellent driving maul from the lineout was completed by John Hardie. Laidlaw’s conversion made it 23-23 after 32 minutes.

Samoa made the numerical advantage count in their next drive, and after Lee-Lo had twice made big gains, Sakaria Taulafo touched down. The try that would have ensured a bonus point was chalked off, however, because Alafoti Fa’osiliva had pulled Laidlaw out of the way off the ball. The Samoans had been playing advantage at the time, however, and Pisi knocked over a penalty from in front of the posts.

That made it 26-23 at half-time - a deficit that Scotland could have little complaint about after defending so slackly. They needed to impose their own tempo on the game in the second half, and play a more structured game - otherwise the Samoans would continue to make hay.

Scotland turned down the chance to draw level with a penalty, opting to go for touch and drive the lineout, but the move ended when they were pulled up for crossing. Their superiority in the lineout, where Richie Gray was winning his 50th cap alongside brother Jonny, made the decision understandable, but at that stage of the game they would have been better going for the points.

The next time the offer was made, they accepted it, and Laidlaw equalised from just outside the 22. With half an hour to play, Scotland were level again, and the tide appeared to have turned.

Another chance minutes later was also taken, and Scotland were ahead for the first time. Laidlaw was just wide with another effort from close to halfway, but at least it kept Samoa pinned back, and as the final quarter began the score remained 29-26 to Vern Cotter’s team. Laidlaw then missed another attempt at goal.

Sean Lamont came on to win his 100th cap, replacing Hogg with ten minutes to go.

Scotland had the ball over the Samoa line five minutes from time but were held up. They had been playing advantage, opted for the scrum, and from the setpiece Laidlaw picked up and dashed round for the score that settled the game. The scrum-half converted his own score to make it 36-26 with five minutes to play.

With three minutes left Motu Matu’u scored his team’s fourth try of the day - and their first points of the half. Converted by Patrick Fa’apale, that made it a two-point game, but Scotland restarted well and held on.

SAMOA: Tries: T Pisi, Leiataua, Lee-Lo, Matu’u. Cons: T Pisi, P Fa’apale. Pens: T Pisi 3.

SCOTLAND: Tries: Seymour, Hardie, Laidlaw. Cons: Laidlaw 3. Pens: Laidlaw 5

Samoa: T Nanai-Williams; P Perez, G Pisi, R Lee-Lo, F Autagavaia (K Pisi 71); T Pisi (P Fa’apale 71), K Fotuali'i (V Afemai 78); S Taulafo (V Afatia 59), M Leiataua (M Matu’u 74), C Johnston (A Perenise 59), F Paulo, K Thompson (F Levave 30), M Fa’asavalu, J Lam, A Fa’osiliva (V Tuilagi 59).

Scotland: S Hogg (S Lamont 71); S Maitland, M Bennett, M Scott (P Horne 76), T Seymour; F Russell, G Laidlaw; A Dickinson, R Ford (F Brown 66), W Nel, R Gray, J Gray (T Swinson 63), R Wilson (J Strauss 53), J Hardie, D Denton. Substitutes: G Reid, J Welsh, H Pyrgos.

Referee: J Peyper (South Africa). Attendance: 51,982.