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Greig Laidlaw satisfied with Scotland's win over Japan

Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw passes the ball during the victory over Japan
Image: Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw passes the ball during the victory over Japan

Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw was pleased to see his side overcome Japan in a "tough" encounter but concedes there are things the Dark Blues need to improve on.

The Scots ran out 26-13 winners in Toyota City, taking advantage of a period either side of half-time when Japan were down to 13 men - following a brace of yellow cards - to score 14 points.

However, Laidlaw wants them to do better in next Saturday's second and final Test against the 2019 World Cup hosts.

Laidlaw, who finished with 16 points from four penalties and two conversions, said: "We were pleased to win and we probably need to just tighten up a little more and be a little bit more accurate.

"At times in the second half we just gave the ball away and maybe let Japan off the hook. But it was a tough Test match and credit to Japan."

Scotland thrashed Japan 45-10 in last year's World Cup - the only defeat the Brave Blossoms suffered in the tournament - but it was a much less one-sided result on Saturday.

Asked about the difference in the two games, Laidlaw said: "The scoreline was closer and they are improving all the time, and that's a credit to the players and the coaches.

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"They're a good team but also for us as well, we've not played together for a long time, and we will also look to improve for next week."

Scotland coach Vern Cotter also feels there is room for improvement ahead of next weekend's second Test in Tokyo.

The Scotland players line-up for the national anthems ahead of their game against Japan
Image: The Scotland players line-up for the national anthems ahead of their game against Japan

He said: "We got the essential, which was a victory, and we created a number of opportunities. Another week together will help improve cohesion and help to get some of those opportunities to stick.

"Our set-piece held up. There were a couple of balls lost. Our defensive line out was okay. Our discipline was probably the key to it. We made more errors and they turned over a fair number of balls to us, which enabled us to get the pressure off.

"Our presence at ruck time was good. We could not string certain things together but there are ingredients there that will help us play big games and keep possession for longer."

Gordon Reid will join the Scotland squad in Tokyo on Monday as an injury replacement for Alasdair Dickinson.

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