Gregor Townsend praised the second-half contribution from his bench as Scotland came from behind to defeat Fiji at Murrayfield. The Pacific Islanders, playing as the nominal home team, dominated the first half against a Scotland lineup that featured 14 changes from its previous match against South Africa.

Scotland's replacements proved decisive in the second half, with Pierre Schoeman, Scott Cummings, and Jamie Dobie (twice) scoring tries. These scores, added to Jonny Gray's early try, secured the victory. The win places Scotland in second position in the northern table of the Nations Championship at the halfway point of the tournament.

Townsend acknowledged that the team made the victory more difficult than necessary, stating, "The team responded really well on the back of a long season, a long tour. We’ll get a lot of benefits from that and evidence for the players that they can find ways to win even when their backs are against the wall."

He highlighted the impact of the substitutes, noting, "They (the replacements) were very good. I think as well they obviously lifted the players that were on the field. They added in terms of the carrying and the effort. But I felt those guys that went 80 minutes dug deep."

Townsend admitted that Scotland lacked clinical finishing in the first half, despite creating numerous opportunities. "I think there’s a frustration that we didn’t score more points in the first half. We were in their 22 on a number of occasions. We were playing really good rugby. We just couldn’t finish off a couple of opportunities," he said.

Captain Stafford McDowall echoed Townsend's sentiments, expressing pride in the team's response. "We got loose and let Fiji into the game but we responded and the bench had a really big impact. We had to stick to what we have done all year," McDowall stated. "It was a good sign to see those lads coming on in the second half. Some of the stuff in the first half wasn’t perfect, but I think it was nine red zone entries. So, we’re obviously doing something right but just couldn’t quite get over the line."

The match was played in front of a crowd of over 55,000 spectators.