It was a case of too little, too late for Scotland as they slumped to a 26-18 defeat to Argentina in Jujuy.
The Scots had shown some promising moments in the first half, but were undone by a string of errors which allowed the Pumas to open up a comfortable lead.
Scotland improved after the break and scored two tries, but it was not enough as Argentina held on for the win.
The defeat exposes the soft underbelly of this Scotland team, which is spinning into reverse. After 40 minutes of the inertia that has become painfully familiar in 2022, Scotland stirred in Jujuy.
It was a brief respite. This was a performance that lacked cohesion, invention and, most worrying of all, belief.
The first half was a microcosm of Scotland’s recent malaise. They made a promising start, with Finn Russell kicking an early penalty, but then gifted Argentina the lead with a series of handling errors.
The Pumas pounced on Scotland’s mistakes, with Nicolas Sanchez kicking three penalties to give them a 9-3 lead.
Scotland was then dealt a further blow when Hamish Watson was forced off with an injury, which disrupted their rhythm even further.
Argentina took full advantage, with Sanchez kicking another penalty and then setting up Bautista Ezcurra for a try with a clever cross-kick.
Scotland was in disarray and things got even worse just before half-time when Russell was sin-binned for a high tackle.
It was a body blow from which Scotland never really recovered. Argentina extended their lead with another Sanchez penalty early in the second half, and then scored a superb try, with Ezcurra finishing a sweeping move.
Scotland did rally and scored two tries through Darcy Graham and Sam Johnson, but it was too little, too late.
This was a worrying performance from Scotland, who are now in real danger of failing to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Outline:
1. Argentina 26-18 Scotland: ‘Loss exposes soft underbelly of team spinning into reverse.
2. After 40 minutes of the inertia that has become painfully familiar in 2022, Scotland stirred in Jujuy.
3. It was a case of too little, too late for Scotland as they slumped to a 26-18 defeat in Argentina in Jujuy.
4. The Scots had shown some promising moments in the first half, but were undone by a string of errors which allowed the Pumas to open up a comfortable lead.
5. Scotland improved after the break and scored two tries, but it was not enough as Argentina held on for the win.
6. The defeat exposes the soft underbelly of this Scotland team, which is spinning into reverse.
7. It was a brief respite. This was a performance that lacked cohesion, invention and, most worrying of all, belief.
8. The first half was a microcosm of Scotland’s recent malaise. They made a promising start, with Finn Russell kicking an early penalty.
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