Scotland impress in batting off Georgia 43-16

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:03 p.m. ET

foxsports

KILMARNOCK, Scotland (AP) Scotland doesn't do banana skin games anymore so Georgia was duly accounted for by 43-16 on an artificial rugby turf at Kilmarnock on Saturday.

In the 18 months before Vern Cotter took over as coach in mid-2014, Scotland lost to Samoa and Tonga. But on the New Zealander's watch, the Scots improved to 9-0 against tier two teams after beating the Georgians by six tries to two.

Scotland scraped past Georgia on penalties in their only previous meeting in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and the Georgians came to Kilmarnock with only one loss in 10 matches this year, to Japan, a result they were still struggling to digest.

Their reputation was enhanced after just five minutes, when Georgia mauled from a lineout and scrumhalf Vasil Lobzhanidze darted down the blind and beat two defenders to score. Just a year ago, Lobzhanidze was the youngest player to ever appear in a Rugby World Cup, at 18.