Gregor Townsend spoke enthusiastically last week about the strength of Scotland’s squad, even going as far as to suggest that “in a number of positions it's definitely the best we've had in terms of depth”. What, then, are to make of the way things unfolded in Suva on Saturday? With eight of Scotland’s most lauded players across the Coral Sea with the Lions in Australia, Townsend’s side were well beaten by Fiji at the HFC Bank Stadium. The coach acknowledged afterwards that it was a game their hosts deserved to win and that will be a source of concern for Townsend who had long earmarked the date with Fiji as the key match of this tour. He knew it would have a significant bearing on world rankings and, by extension, the draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup which will take place at the end of this year, and he selected accordingly. This was the strongest Scotland team available to him. But while Duhan van der Merwe, Sione Tuipulotu, Ben White and Scott Cummings were running in tries for the British and Irish Lions in their 48-0 win over a combined Australian-New Zealand Invitational XV in Adelaide, Scotland found themselves overpowered in the Fijian capital, losing 29-14 as their hosts outscored them by four tries to two. It was a fair reflection of a game in which the Scots struggled to gain a foothold. They began each half brightly, scoring an early try through Kyle Rowe in the first and Tom Jordan in the second, but failed to build on it. Fiji were relentless and Scotland struggled to cope with their physical prowess. They conceded penalty after penalty - 15 in total - to test the patience of referee Ben O’Keeffe who didn’t need much encouragement to flourish his yellow card. Ewan Ashman was first to go to the sin-bin, after only 11 minutes, and was followed by Darcy Graham before half-time. The winger was unfortunate, putting a tackle in on Sireli Maqala before the Fijian centre had gathered the ball properly. Worse was to follow for Graham who received a second yellow in the second half when he went offside as he intercepted a Fiji attack. Two yellows equals a 20-minute red card and the incident in the 66th minute ended his game. “You can't be as ill-disciplined as we were,” acknowledged Grant Gilchrist, the most experienced player in the Scotland squad. “We spent however long with 14 players and we gave away far too many penalties. They're too good a side for that. We knew that was going to be the case, so it's bitterly disappointing.” It’s only eight months since Scotland blew Fiji away 57-17 at Murrayfield but the contrast between the two games could not be more stark. The Fijians arrived in Edinburgh without a clutch of their best players who, because the match took place outside the designated Test window, were not released by their clubs in France and England. It was certainly a happier occasion for Graham who scored four tries that autumn afternoon. On Saturday in Suva it was Scotland who were missing key personnel and the absence of players of the quality of Finn Russell, Blair Kinghorn and Zander Fagerson was keenly felt. Fergus Burke, the Saracens stand-off, wore Russell’s No 10 jersey and had a decent debut but Scotland were on the backfoot for the majority of the game in the face of the home side’s relentless attacking power. Townsend spoke pre-match about losing to Fiji in 2017 and Scotland’s failure to stand up to the physical challenge. That is not an accusation that could be laid at the feet of the team that took to the field on Saturday. The tackle count reached three figures in the first half alone there were some bone-crunching collisions. The size and strength of the Fijians is daunting and at times the Scotland defenders were bouncing off them but the islanders are also among the game’s most gifted ball players and in winger Jiuta Wainiqolo they have an elusive runner who is a joy to watch. He was a menace throughout and weaved his through for a wonderful try in the second half to add to the first-half scores by Tevita Ikanivere and Kalaveti Ravouvou. The penalty try awarded for Graham’s offside intercept ended any hope Scotland had of retrieving the game and the loss is likely to have an impact on the new world rankings. Townsend’s side were seventh going into the game and the coach was looking for a win to help push them into the all-important top six. New rankings will be released on Monday and Scotland are likely to have slipped. When the World Cup draw is made at the end of the year it is the half dozen sides at the summit of the rankings who will be awarded top seeding. Scotland now have five games left to improve their position, starting with Friday’s final match of the tour, against Samoa in Auckland, and continuing with their home autumn nations series against USA, New Zealand, Argentina and Tonga. “We're certainly not where we want to be,” said Townsend. “We always knew this was going to be a difficult game. Fiji have beaten Wales and England and Australia in the last couple of years and we're playing them away from home and missing a number of players. “It would have been a great win if we’d managed to pull it off, but we didn't. That now puts the focus on making sure that we win this Friday and we have a successful November, but it's certainly a setback in terms of pushing for that top six.” Scorers: Fiji: Tries: Ikanivere, Ravouvou, Wainiqolo, penalty try. Cons: Muntz 2. Pens: Muntz. Scotland: Tries: Rowe, Jordan. Cons: Burke 2. Yellow cards: Ashman (Sco, 11min), Graham x 2 (Sco, 35min + 66min). 20-minute red card: Graham Fiji: 15. Salesi Rayasi; 14. Kalaveti Ravouvou, 13. Sireli Maqala, 12. Josua Tuisova, 11. Jiuta Wainiqolo; 10. Caleb Muntz, 9. Simione Kuruvoli; 1. Eroni Mawi, 2. Tevita Ikanivere, 3. Mesake Doge, 4. Isoa Nasilasila, 5. Temo Mayanavanua, 6. Lekima Tagitagivalu, 7. Elia Canakaivata, 8. Viliame Mata. Replacements: 16. Samuel Matavesi, 17. Haereiti Hetet, 18. Samuela Tawake, 19. Mesake Vocevoce, 20. Albert Tuisue, 21. Sam Wye, 22. Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 23. Vilimoni Botitu. Scotland: 15. Kyle Rowe; 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Cameron Redpath, 12. Tom Jordan, 11. Kyle Steyn; 10. Fergus Burke, 9. Jamie Dobie; 1. Rory Sutherland, 2. Ewan Ashman, 3. Elliot Millar Mills, 4. Marshall Sykes, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. Jamie Ritchie, 7. Rory Darge, (capt), 8. Matt Fagerson. Replacements: 16. George Turner, 17. Alec Hepburn, 18. Will Hurd, 19. Max Williamson, 20. Josh Bayliss, 21. George Horne, 22. Adam Hastings, 23. Ollie Smith. Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ). Attendance: 10,000.