SCOTS CLINCH IT AT THE CLIMAX3
Cotter’s men hold their nerve this time as Laidlaw’s last-gasp kick puts the Pumas in their place
SCOTLAND’S performance dipped and the first hour of this Test was forgettable, but it mattered little to an ecstatic Murrayfield crowd at the final whistle as Greig Laidlaw secured victory in another dramatic finale to an autumn Test match.
Instead of the free-flowing try-fest many had hoped for — with a new, threatening Pumas team ranked a place above Scotland — supporters endured a scrappy arm-wrestle on a bitterly cold Edinburgh night, with just a sole try from Sean Maitland matched by one from Pumas centre Matias Orlando.
But, crucially, after letting a lead slip in the final moments against Australia, Scotland held their nerve and overcame another Laidlaw kick deflected off the right post, and two missed Finn Russell drop-goal attempts, to clinch victory with a last-gasp penalty from the skipper.
The win will take Scotland back above Argentina and into eighth spot in the World Rugby Rankings tomorrow which, if they maintain it through next year’s Six Nations, will secure a place in the second pot of seeds for the 2019 World Cup draw in May. Argentina have only one game left before May — against England next week — and so this result could prove hugely significant for both sides’ World Cup chances.
Scotland matched the Argentine scrum for the most part and, bar the odd slip in the lineout again, secured good ball at the touchline. With another young back-row, Magnus Bradbury, producing an impressive debut, they matched the powerful Pumas pack in every department.
Behind the scrum, some things came off for Laidlaw and Russell and some did not, while a lack of phases and momentum left the wider backs with fewer opportunities than they have become used to under Vern Cotter.
After a fine near-40-metre penalty by Laidlaw after two minutes, the game slipped into an error-strewn affair. Both sides had set their stalls out to play attractive running rugby but neither could perform the basics sufficiently to create attacking platforms and build anything worthy of note.
The first big chance came when Argentina scrum-half Martin Landajo dipped past Hamish Watson at the side of a ruck and broke into the home half. When caught, he chipped ahead, but Tommy Seymour was quicker than the chasing pack and safely touched the ball down over the line for a 22 drop-out.
Laidlaw doubled Scotland’s lead in the 28th minute with his metronomic right boot, this time punishing an Argentina scrum collapse — a pleasing win for an under-pressure Zander Fagerson on his second cap — but, within a minute, the Pumas were threatening a first try.
It was a terrific midfield break by outside-centre Orlando, who steamed over Russell and fed Juan Martin Hernandez, who in turn found flyer Santiago Cordero. But the Scots scramble defence was superb, stopping Cordero from reaching the line and, after two solid scrums, No 8 John Barclay forced a turnover. Laidlaw’s hoof upfield brought a mighty roar from the Murrayfield support and a stress-relieving knockon from retreating winger Cordero.
Still, however, rucks were scrappy, possession fluctuated and the game headed towards half-time lacking rhythm. The fact that this was not a normal Scotland performance was underlined when Jonny Gray, the biggest tackler and most disciplined player, conceded a penalty and Nicolas Sanchez kicked the three points from 45 metres out.
After half-time, Argentina tightened up their forward play and levelled the scores from another Sanchez penalty for offside, before lighting up Murrayfield with a superb try.
They pushed Scotland back into their 22 on the right then Hernandez sent a delightful kick to the left. Though it bounced, Orlando beat the retreating Maitland and oncoming Stuart Hogg to it and weaved between them to go round behind the posts.
Then Scotland found their cutting edge. From a penalty kicked to touch, the pack drove deep into the Pumas 22 and the ball was moved right. Huw Jones was the creator, shirking off two tackles to set up Maitland for an easy dive into the right-hand corner. With Laidlaw’s touchline conversion, Murrayfield erupted.
Jones did not last much longer, having suffered an ankle injury in the lead-up, and was replaced by Peter Horne, Ryan Wilson having replaced the impressive Bradbury moments earlier. There had been a few flareups in the first period and Wilson found himself embroiled in another before the Pumas pack flexed their muscle legally with a trademark aggressive, potent maul.
It yielded another penalty, which Sanchez turned into a 16-13 lead after 63 minutes, but again Scotland responded. A clever restart by Russell found a bit of space deep in the Pumas half and from good work by forwards and backs (finally, we saw Hogg coming on to the ball at pace) a penalty allowed Laidlaw to level again.
Now Scotland had rediscovered Hogg, the full-back began to enliven their attack with his pace and belligerence in contact. From another attack he sparked, Laidlaw fed Russell for a drop-goal attempt, only for the strike to drift right of the posts.
The game moved into a nervous final five minutes as referee Ben O’Keeffe penalised the Pumas for taking out a lifter in the lineout. Laidlaw’s penalty from wide on the right came back off the right post but Scotland won possession and drove for the line.
They were held again and again before Laidlaw sent the ball back to Russell for a drop-goal. But his kick was charged down and Argentina won a scrum with just over a minute left on the clock. Their body language suggested they thought it was game over, but they lost ball in the next attack and Scotland regained it.
So, final play, for the second week in a row, to win the Test match. The Scots again retained ball well in that period and, this time, got closer to the 22, striving to tee up Russell for another shot at goal. But on this occasion luck, or the referee, favoured them when O’Keeffe penalised Juan Manuel Leguizamon for a dangerous tackle when the replacement flanker chopped Ford with a head-first lunge.
He protested his innocence, urging the whistler to check a TV replay, but O’Keeffe waved him away and Laidlaw stroked the penalty from 30 metres straight between the uprights to clinch victory. The final whistle blew and a huge smile broke across the face of the Scotland captain as Murrayfield erupted for a last time.