Gregor Townsend’s team raced into a 21-0 lead in 22 minutes after the first of Tonga’s yellows – later upgraded to red – was flashed at blindside Semisi Paea.
Paea was done for an illegal clearout and Scotland punished them soon after.
Andy Onyeama-Christie stole a Tongan lineout and away the Scots went, Van der Merwe scampering clear before Ben White and Onyeama-Christie again set up the field position from where the all-action Ritchie struck in his return to the team.
Van der Merwe was involved in the second score, too, taking White’s kick out of the air before finding Magnus Bradbury on his shoulder. Turner ploughed over when the Tongan defence weakened.
Tonga’s cheap shots were mounting, not all of them getting picked up. In quick order, there was one on Ollie Smith and another on Turner. Scotland’s response was a third try, Williamson twisting his giant frame to touch down.
At that point, Tonga returned to 15 and Scotland became loose. They’d been held up over the line once earlier in the game and they were held up again later on.
Despite their lead, and their myriad line breaks, it could hardly be called ruthless stuff from the Scots, not when the score at half-time, 15 versus 15, was 0-0.
By the break, Tonga had another man in the bin, lock Harison Mataele getting pinged for offside while Scotland were hammering at the line to no avail.
And early in the half the visitors dropped to 13 men when Taniela Filimone was done. Still Scotland toiled to break what was a resolute visiting defence.
Scottish possession was huge. Scottish errors were troublingly high.
There was yet another yellow for Tonga – a deliberate knock-on by centre Fine Inisi – just short of the hour.
Finally, Scotland made them pay. Off a lineout, Van der Merwe galloped through a gap and nobody was stopping him. Burke added another conversion and it was 28-0.
Still down to 14, Tonga were done again when a rolling maul saw Ashman go over. Burke did the job with the extras once more.
Tonga were easy meat to a Scotland that were now full of running.
Four minutes after Ashman scored, substitute Horne got the sixth, a slick move that began in earnest when Smith flung a sweet long pass left to right to Kyle Steyn. Kyle Rowe arrived in support and Horne was on his shoulder. Much more like it.
Horne converted his own try to make it 42-0, then scored his second after excellent work from Ritchie. The half-century was brought in minutes from the end when Ashman crashed over again. Horne’s sure boot made it a 56-point.
It was the second game of the autumn where Scotland kept their opponents scoreless – they did it to the USA as well – but this series will not be remembered for the landslide wins rather than the ones that got away.
