Giants take to the pitch at Elland Road

Calendar sports correspondent John Shires sends this blog from the USA v Scotland game.

First impressions - Elland Road looks awfully small with 30 giants doing their stuff on it as opposed to 22 normally sized men. The atmosphere's different too. Respectful silence when a penalty's taken, polite applause for the opposition's efforts, and you're allowed to drink in your seats. Somehow I'm not sure sure it'll catch on next week.

As for the game itself, Scotland - overwhelming favourites - were slow out of the traps. The USA took an early lead with a penalty by their very Scottish sounding fly half Alan McGinty, but that was quickly cancelled out by Stuart Hogg. USA's lineout creaked with two squint throws, but their pack got the biggest cheer of the day so far from neutrals in the crowd when they took one against the head in the scrum. 10 minutes in, no sign of the expected Scottish walkover.

So apart from the odd shout of "boring, boring" it was no surprise when Scotland decided to kick a penalty in front of the posts rather than run it. This time Finn Russell obliged to put the Scots ahead for the first time.With no discernible pattern emerging - other than both sides' inability to secure their own lineout ball, it mostly came down to referee Chris Pollock's whistle. Until that is, the 20th minute when - miracle of miracles - the USA won clean lineout ball on the Scottish 22, and launched their first meaningful attack, which ended with prop Titi Lamositele rumbling over for a try converted off the post by McGinty. 10-6 to the USA - is this to be Japan SA all over again?

Scotland fans were certainly concerned when first, Seamus Kelly exposed their defence with a scorching break that could have led to more points had the referee not noticed half the Scottish side were offside. And then after Hogg had stepped and sliced through a gap at the other end, he should have given Tim Visser a walk-in, but his dreadful pass meant the try was butchered. As half time approached Scottish supporters were getting even more worried. They'd seen inaccuracies all over the pitch, dropped passes, two missed penalty kicks - plus in your face defence from the USA, whose pack also enjoyed overwhelming superiority at scrum-time, and who were just as enterprising in attack. The half ended with another penalty from the USA, who deservedly led 13-6 at the break. Scotland coach Vern Cotter has plenty to ponder!