Laidlaw pips Pumas in final countdown
GREIG Laidlaw converted a penalty with the last kick of the match as Scotland defeated Argentina at BT Murrayfield.
The Test looked as if it would end in a draw, but the scrum-half and captain held his nerve when Juan Leguizamon was penalised for a no-arms tackle.
Laidlaw said: “It was a very tough match, but the guys really stuck at things and it was so pleasing that we came out on the right side of things. We know we can be better, but after the tight loss against Australia this feels good.”
In the second minute, stand-off Finn Russell received the ball deep in his own half and he put up a good high kick.
He collected it himself and caused the Argentineans to give away a penalty. It was within kickable range and Laidlaw did the business to make it 3-0.
In the next few minutes the game settled down with a number of scrum resets slowing things down.
When Scotland did get their hands on the ball returning winger Tommy Seymour had one good break, but the game was still fractious.
Scotland were trying to get their backline firing, but the breakdown was messy and quick ball was few and far between.
The home team then won a scrum penalty in the 27th minute some 30 metres out in front of the posts and Laidlaw took the opportunity to kick it and make it 6-0.
Straight from the restart Scotland lost the ball after a knock-on by second-row Grant Gilchrist. Argentina took advantage and got within a couple of yards of the hosts’ line before they were held up.
Basic errors kept being made which were not allowing either team to dominate.
Just before the interval Argentina kicked a penalty through stand-off Nicolas Sanchez to leave things at 6-3 at half-time.
The Pumas started the second half well and they levelled in the 44th minute with a second Sanchez penalty.
They then scored the first try of the evening when centre Matias Orlando latched on to a cracking crossfield kick by centre Juan Martin Hernandez.
He caught it out wide and then beat the tackle of fullback Stuart Hogg to go over with Sanchez converting.
That was in the 50th minute and four minutes later Scotland were level.
A great break by centre Huw Jones set-up winger Sean Maitland for the score out wide. Laidlaw kicked the conversion from the touchline and it was 13-13.
Jones was forced off soon after with an injury and was replaced by Pete Horne. There was then a bout of handbags with things still in the balance heading into the final quarter.
Argentina won a penalty at scrum time in the 62nd minute and Sanchez kicked his third of the match for a three-point advantage.
Five minutes later Scotland were level again, after Hogg had gone close to a try Laidlaw kicked the penalty from in front of the posts.
In the 77th minute Argentina were penalised for obstruction in their 22.
Laidlaw’s penalty kick looked to be going over, but it hit the upright.
Russell then had a drop goal attempt blocked, but the drama was not over and Scotland came through on the right side of the scoreline in that dramatic finale which took them up to eighth, above Argentina, in the world rankings.