Scotland pulled away from a stubborn Georgia in the second half at Murrayfield to earn their third win in four World Cup warm-up matches.
It was a one-point game at the break, with unconverted tries by Ali Price and Blair Kinghorn met by three Tedo Abzhandadze penalties.
But Sam Johnson darted over to edge the Scots clear, and tries by Darcy Graham, and the Horne brothers – George and Pete – sealed victory in Scotland’s final game before their opener in Japan against Ireland on 22 September.
It was a patchy performance in large part from Gregor Townsend’s side, with the Georgians proving more belligerent than in last weekend’s reverse fixture in Tbilisi.
The story of Scotland’s summer series had been one of steady improvement. A disheartening hammering at the hands of France in Nice followed by a gutsy win over Les Bleus at Murrayfield, and then a comprehensive dismantling of Georgia.
Having named his final 31-man squad for the World Cup on Tuesday, Townsend elected to take many of his big guns – the likes of Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw, Hamish Watson, John Barclay and Stuart McInally – out of the line of fire.
With so many changes, the Scots took some time to get into their stride, but after a frustrating opening 15 minutes they began to cut loose. Kinghorn launched the counter-attack and, after incursions from Graham and Johnson, Price dived over for a brilliant try.
Moments later, Adam Hastings’ pinpoint crossfield-kick found Graham, who did superbly to offload to Kinghorn arriving at the right time to glide over.
Three penalties from Abzhandadze meant, despite those two Scotland tries, we had a one-point game and the buoyancy turned to anxiety in the crowd as the visitors ended the half stronger. Fly-half Abzhandadze was growing in influence and his eye for a gap was giving Scotland problems.
The hosts needed a try to take some wind from the Georgia sails, and they got it 10 minutes after the break. Ryan Wilson and Blade Thomson punctured the defence and, for the first time, Scotland showed great patience to continue prodding and probing until Hastings was able to send Johnson through untouched under the sticks.
The try did little to lift the air of frustration inside Murrayfield, with the error count through the roof as the home side struggled to stitch five phases of play together.
This was not the rip-roaring display the supporters came to see for the big send-off to Japan, and at 17-9 going into the final 15 minutes the first priority was simply securing the win.
The game was safe when Duncan Taylor whipped a long pass out to Chris Harris, who drew two defenders and slipped in Graham to race up the touchline for his fifth try in seven Tests.
The visitors’ resistance was now disintegrating and substitute George Horne darted through some ropey fringe defence to touch down for try number five, before brother Peter came off the bench to get in on the act, capitalising on some crazy Georgian play deep in their own territory.
Ultimately a comprehensive victory for the Scots before the serious stuff starts in Japan. They will be better when their key men return, and they will have to be when they take on the Irish first up.
Scotland: B Kinghorn; T Seymour; D Taylor, S Johnson; D Graham; A Hastings, A Price; G Reid, G Turner, Z Fagerson; S Cummings, J Gray; R Wilson (capt), J Ritchie, B Thomson.
Replacements: G Stewart, A Dell, S Berghan, B Toolis, M Bradbury, G Horne, P Horne, C Harris.
Georgia: S Matiashvili; Z Dzneladze; D Katcharava, L Malaghuradze; M Modebadze; T Abzhandadze, V Lobzhanidze; M Nariashvili (capt), S Mamukashvili, B Gigashvili; K Mikautadze, G Nemsadze; S Sutiashvili, G Tkhilaishvili, B Gorgadze.
Replacements: G Kveseladze, T Mtchhedlidze, G Aprasidze, V Karkadze, G Gogichashvili, G Melkidze, L Lomidze, B Saghinadze.
Scotland: (10) 36
Tries: Price, Kinghorn, Johnson, Graham, G Horne, P Horne Cons: Hastings, G Horne (2)
Georgia: (9) 9
Pens: Abzhandadze (3)
bbc