IT WAS dramatic throughout, and desperate at times, but in the end Scotland did just enough to claim the win they needed to go through to the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup.

Samoa contributed massively to one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament so far, and had Scotland reeling with a dynamic first-half display in which they scored three tries. The Scots steadily gained control after the break, and when they went ten points up the victory appeared to be in the bag. When Samoa hit back with their fourth try of the afternoon two minutes from time the issue was again in doubt, but some composure when it was most needed ensured the victory that gives Scotland the runners-up slot in Pool B.

It was the fourth match running in which Vern Cotter’s team played significantly better after the break, and while there have been different reasons behind that improvement, some of them positive, it remains a concern. So does the defence, which has been remarkably solid in recent games, but which was sliced open all too readily by Samoa’s physical ferocity. Getting a hand on an attacker but being unable to halt him is understandable in such circumstances, but at times some Scotland players failed even to do that, such was the speed and unpredictability of the islanders’ offensives.

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, who played a captain’s role throughout, ending up with 26 points. 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, scored and converted by Tusi Pisi.

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.

Laidlaw’s conversion took the score to 10-10, but the Samoan response was immediate, as their big men continued to barge their way all too simply deep into Scottish territory and hooker Manu Leiataua made the final few metres for an unconverted score. A Laidlaw penalty made it 15-13 to Samoa at the end of the first quarter, but 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.

A handling offence in the ruck allowed Laidlaw to narrow the gap to 20-16, but then

Ryan Wilson was yellow-carded for stamping on an opponent, and 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. Pisi then knocked over a penalty from in front of the posts to make 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, 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. Laidlaw equalised from just outside the 22, and, with half an hour to play, the tide had turned.

Another chance minutes later was also taken, and Scotland were ahead for the first time. Sean Lamont then 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 set piece 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.

As they had done against both Japan and the United States, Scotland had produced a performance that was flawed but also mature in the way they reacted to their failings. They will need the maturity again next Sunday when they take on Australia at Twickenham, but if the flaws remain they will surely not live to fight another day, as they just about deserved to do at the end of this engrossing yet nerve-wracking encounter.

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. Unused substitutes: G Reid, J Welsh, H Pyrgos.

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