Scotland gave new coach Vern Cotter the best possible Murrayfield welcome as they caught a sorry Argentina off guard in a convincing win on Saturday. Maybe it was the jet lag, or the coffee, whatever it was the Pumas didn’t look anything like the side that conquered Australia a month ago in Mendoza. The Scots meanwhile had a terrific first half, moving the ball well and playing some of their best rugby in ages.
With the Scots pressing for an early score it was the Pumas who instead came away with points. A big tackle on Greig Laidlaw dislodged the ball and Javier Ortega Desio was the first to pounce, showing surprising pace to gallop 60 metres for the score. In days gone by Scotland would have been rattled, but this new look side didn’t even blink, and within moments Richie Gray had found the try line in a perfect response.
A mystery penalty gave three points to Nicolás Sánchez and the lead back to Argentina, but for the next half hour it was all Scotland. Jonny Gray joined his brother on the score sheet, followed by Sean Maitland and shortly after the half Stuart Hogg. Added to five more kicks from the boot of Laidlaw and it was a 24 point rout with 20 minutes to play.
The second half devolved into a lacklustre affair and a flurry of effortless tries came in the final ten minutes, aided by yellow cards to Rob Harley and Jim Hamilton which forced Scotland to play a man down for the final quarter. With the game well won it was academic anyway though Cotter will have been a tad put off by the casual finish, and perhaps the scrum which ran into some predictable difficulties, he would have been immensely proud of his team’s clinical first half performance.
Laidlaw led the way with some opportunistic sniping, and his previously laboured service was thankfully absent. Finn Russell dictated field position with his tactical kicking, and the forwards, almost to a man, were excellent. The Gray brothers delivered what everyone hoped they might, and Ross Ford had his best outing in some time. Blair Cowan was an ever-present at the breakdown, suggesting he might just have an international future after all.
Who knows where Argentina will go now. They were horribly flat, and any air they might have had went out when they lost both Rodrigo Báez and captain Agustín Creevy mid way through the first half. Tomás Lavanini and latterly Tomás Cubelli were the only ones to escape with positive marks, the rest might have been better off staying at the hotel.
Cotter’s next task will be to carry that attacking spirit over to the daunting task that awaits this week with the arrival of the All Blacks. Not many were picking his side to best Argentina, and nobody will pick them over New Zealand, but this performance offers a glimmer of hope that it might not quite be the bloodbath that would otherwise be expected. It’s been a long time since the fans had something to cheer about at Murrayfield, and if they can find their way to the tryline once or twice against the world champions, the box office might find itself a little busier than normal come the Six Nations.
SCOTLAND 41 vs 31 ARGENTINA
Saturday, November 8, 17:30 GMT, Edinburgh
SCORING
02 mins – J. Ortega Desio try 0-5
03 mins – N. Sánchez con 0-7
06 mins – R. Gray try 5-7
07 mins – G. Laidlaw con 7-7
12 mins – N. Sánchez pen 7-10
22 mins – J. Gray try 12-10
23 mins – G. Laidlaw con 14-10
25 mins – S. Maitland try 19-10
26 mins – G. Laidlaw con 21-10
33 mins – G. Laidlaw pen 24-10
46 mins – S. Hogg try 29-10
47 mins – G. Laidlaw con 31-10
61 mins – G. Laidlaw pen 34-10
70 mins – Penalty try (scrum) 34-15
70 mins – J.M. Hernández con 34-17
71 mins – T. Seymour try 39-17
71 mins – D. Weir con 41-17
74 mins – T. Cubelli try 41-22
75 mins – J.M. Hernández con 41-24
80 mins – T. Cubelli try 41-31
80 mins – J.M. Hernández con 41-31
CARDS
21 mins – J. Imhoff yellow (foul play)
63 mins – R. Harley yellow (foul play)
73 mins – J. Hamilton yellow (professional foul)
SCOTLAND
S. Hogg; S. Maitland, M. Bennett, A. Dunbar (S. Lamont 75), T. Seymour; F. Russell (D. Weir 65), G. Laidlaw (capt.) (H. Pyrgos 65-78); A. Dickinson (G. Reid 69), R. Ford (S. Lawson 65), E. Murray (G. Cross 70); R. Gray (J. Hamilton 69), J. Gray; R. Harley, B. Cowan (A. Strokosch 60), A. Ashe.
ARGENTINA
J. Tuculet; J. Imhoff, M. Bosch (H. Agulla 62), J.M. Hernández, M. Montero; N. Sánchez (S. González Iglesias 53), M. Landajo (T. Cubelli 58); M. Ayerza (L. Noguera Paz 62), A. Creevy (capt.) (M. Cortese 23), R. Herrera (N. Tetaz Chaparro 46); T. Lavanini, J.C. Guillemaín (L. Ponce 69); R. Báez (F. Isa 17), J. Ortega Desio, L. Senatore.
Referee: W. Barnes (RFU)
Assistants: G. Clancy (IRFU) & M. Mitrea (FIR)
TMO: E. Gauzins (FFR)
