next year and is widely regarded as the best lock in the world, with the salary to match.
Finn Russell made his return for Scotland against Georgia, winning his 50th cap as the men in black were comfortable 48-7 winners at Murrayfield. Check out our Scotland vs Georgia player ratings below.
The fly-half missed the 2020 Six Nations after being sent home following an unauthorised night out the weekend before the tournaments kick off.
Tries from Darcy Graham, Fraser Brown and Hamish Watson along with one conversion from Adam Hastings gave the Scots a healthy 17-0 lead at the break.
Akaki Tabutsadze scored for the visitors after the restart, but it proved to be just as consolation as further tries from Brown, Stuart McInally, Duhan van der Merwe, Graham and Blair Kinghorn secured the eight-try win for Scotland.
Read on to see our Scotland vs Georgia player ratings.
STATS ZONE
- Most tackles: Mikheil Nariashvili (Georgia) - 19
- Most missed tackles: Nodar Tcheishvili (Georgia) - 4
- Most carries: Fraser Brown (Scotland) - 19
- Most metres: Blair Kinghorn (Scotland) - 92
- Most defenders beaten: Blair Kinghorn (Scotland) - 4
- Most offloads: Adam Hastings (Scotland) - 2
- Turnovers conceded: Blair Kinghorn (Scotland) - 2
RUCK's Man of the Match: Hamish Watson (Scotland)
The openside flanker was into everything. Dynamic tackles, a try, choke tackles, smother tackles, turnover after turnover, big carries, stunning off-loads – you name it – he did it. World class. Surely has to be in Lions contention
Star Players:
Fraser Brown (Scotland) - Captain fantastic. The hooker made 18 carries and scored two tries has the hosts ran rampant.
I know the game was won, but the playmaker made a big difference and it seemed to give the rest of the players a lift as well. lHis distribution was excellent, he makes it look so easy and then there is the variety of passes
Blair KInghorn (Scotland) - Although the fullback can appear naive at times, he can be an absolute magician. Took his try really well and made more metres than anybody else in an all-action display.
Underperformers:
Adam Hastings (Scotland) Dreadful from the tee, slotting just three of his seven conversion attempts. One or two really nice moments, but overall he looked more than a little bit rusty.
Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) - Was tipped by star ahead of his debut, and although he made plenty of metres and scored a try, it was far from a dream first appearance. The 25-year-old's defence was absolutely shocking for the Georgia try - with the speedster missing three tackles throughout the game. Looked like he was possibly trying too hard, but has the potential to be a superstar undoubtedly.
Ioseb Matiashvili (Georgia) - The fullback was put under huge pressure, which led to him conceding three turnovers and a penalty. Offered very little going forward, not that any of the Georgians did.
Scotland vs Georgia player ratings:
SCOTLAND PLAYER RATINGS
Starting: Blair Kinghorn 7, Darcy Graham 7.5, Chris Harris 6, James Lang 6, Duhan van der Merwe 6, Adam Hastings 6, Ali Price 7, Rory Sutherland 7, Fraser Brown (c 8), Zander Fagerson 7, Ben Toolis 7, Scott Cummings 7, Jamie Ritchie 8, Hamish Watson 9, Matt Fagerson 7
GEORGIA PLAYER RATINGS
Starting: Soso Matiashvili 4, Akaki Tabutsadze 7, Deme Tapladze 4, Mereb Sharikadze (c) 4, Sandro Todua 4, Tedo Abzhandadze 4, Vasil Lobzhanidze 4, Beka Gorgadze 4, Beka Saghinadze 6, Otar Giorgadze 4, Grigol Kerdikoshvili 4, Nodar Cheishvili 4, Lexo Kaulashvili 4, Jaba Bregvadze 4, Mikheil Nariashvili 8
RANKED | The 10 highest paid people in rugby union, 2020
Keep reading to see the top 10 highest-paid people in rugby union, ranked in ascending order of earnings.
9=. ANDY FARRELL £600k (Ireland)
The first of two Farrell's on this list, Andy received a significant pay boost when he took over from Joe Schmidt following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
9=. DAN BIGGAR £600k (Northampton Saints)
The Welsh pivot has made the most of his big-money move from Ospreys to Northampton Saints, where he has shone consistently since joining in 2018.
8. STEVE LUATUA £650k (Bristol Bears)
Didn't make any friends within the All Blacks hierarchy when he decided to cash in on his extreme rugby talent, signing for Bristol in 2017. Has since signed a two-year contract extension. The All Blacks aren’t allowed by the New Zealand Rugby Union to pick exiles.
6=. OWEN FARRELL £750k (Saracens)
The England captain signed his deal a while ago. It's set to run until 2022 when he can expect to earn an increase again wherever he decides to play, assuming rugby hasn't completely decided to tighten its belt by then.
6=. EDDIE JONES £750k (England)
The highest-paid international rugby coach. His salary pales in comparison to Manchester City chief Pep Guardiola (£20million) and England football chief Gareth Southgate (£3m).
5. PAT LAM £800k (Bristol Bears)
The former Newcastle, Northampton and Samoa back-row will remain at Ashton Gate until at least 2023 after signing a bumper contract extension in 2019. The 50-year-old, as a result, became the highest paid rugby boss in the world.
4. MARO ITOJE £825k (Saracens)
Signed a new deal last year that was reportedly between £750,000 and £1 million. He's one of the front runners to captain the Lions
3. EBEN ETZEBETH £900k (Toulon)
The 28-year-old Springbok extended his stay at the French club in July by signing a new three-year deal with the club that will see him remain at the club until June 2023.
2=. CHARLES PIUTAU £1m (Bristol Bears)
The former New Zealand wing or full-back become British rugby’s first million-pound player when he signed for Bristol Bears. The former All Black speedster, who deserted his international ambitions at the premature age of 23, has consistently been one of the best players in Europe since 2015.
1=. HANDRE POLLARD £1m (Montpellier)
The World Cup-winning Springboks playmaker Handre Pollard became the joint highest paid rugby player in the world alongside Piutau when he agreed to leave the Bulls in Super Rugby to join Montpellier in the Top 14 last year.
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