Scots level Test series

Scotland beat Argentina 24-16 in Buenos Aires in a surprise win on Saturday to not only level the two-Test series, but overcome a 18-year losing drought against the Pumas.

The Scots salvaged some pride and ending their season on a high note after going down 15-21 in a heart-breaking defeat the week before in Rosario.

It seems Scotland coach Frank Hadden's six changes following last week's loss made the world of difference as the 2007 World Cup quarter-finalists out-muscled their way to a memorable victory in front of a packed crowd at Velez Sarsfield Stadium.

The Scots perhaps also threw Hadden a much-needed lifeline with his coaching future currently hanging by a thread after a forgetable Six Nations and the team's inability to cross the whitewash.

Two tries were scored against the Pumas thanks to hooker Ross Ford and centre Graeme Morrison in the first and second halves respectively -- Morrison's try sealing the deal for the visitors after the hosts threatened a comeback.

Off the pitch, Scotland assistant coach Andy Robinson's attention to detail and tactical expertise clearly also helped Scotland achieve a dream result against the side ranked third in the world.

The Pumas were far from their best, but they were subdued crucially in the first half by a Scottish display that had all that was lacking from the first Test -- the aggression, speed, ambition, skill and, significantly, more forceful refereeing of the breakdown area by Alan Rolland.

It was a disappointing end for long-serving lock Ignacio Fernandez.  The 33-year-old was playing in his last match before retirement from international rugby.

Record breaking full-back Chris Paterson, who became his country's most capped player by making his 88th appearance in the match, contributed 13 points to make it a particularly sweet occasion for him as he overtook Scott Murray's cap tally.

Scotland started strongly and carved out a penalty opportunity for Paterson after only six minutes.

He duly slotted the points but the hosts could have drawn level when Federico Todeschini pushed his attempt wide.

Scott MacLeod, soaring in the line-out, set up a another fierce drive by the Scottish pack, which was rewarded with a penalty when Pumas hooker Alvaro Tejeda pulled down the maul.

That mistake gave Paterson the chance to make it 6-0 as he converted from the left and after 23 minutes the Scots had a try to Ford after the hooker crashed over following superb interplay between Iain Morrison and Mike Blair.

The metronomic Paterson added the extras to make it 13-0 to the Scots.

The Pumas were looking nervy in possession and were clearly lacking the experience of some missing stars.

Scotland, on the other hand, were playing with confidence and Paterson added a further penalty to make it 16-0 at the interval.

The second half started in much the same fashion as the Paterson continued his fine form in front of the posts to add another three points after 52 minutes.

Nine minutes later Argentina were finally on the scoreboard as Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe finished a fine counter-attacking move.

Todeschini was on target with the conversion as the score moved to 19-7.

That re-awakened the fans and the team responded, Lucas Borges going over before seeing his effort ruled out after referral to the TMO.

Five minutes later, Scotland were back in the driving seat as Dan Parks made a great interception in his own half and ran 40 metres before running out of steam.

But he had the presence of mind to offload to Morrison who rushed through between the posts.

Man-of-the-match Paterson converted and gave the Scottish tourists a 24-7 lead.

Pumas winger Horacio Agulla touched down in the last minute for a consolation try and Todeschini hit the extras but it was all a little too late at that stage.

That score, however, prevented Scotland reaching the 15-point margin they needed to get an improved IRB ranking.

Man of the match:  Scotland were led superbly by scrum-half Mike Blair, while full-back Hugo Southwell's kicking from hand was impeccable.  The centre pair of Graeme Morrison and Ben Cairns, who in his second ever appearance at Test level looked assured, kept the opposition guessing.  Phil Godman's passing brought a new dimension to the Scotland back-line and really stood out in the number ten jersey before being replaced by Dan Parks.  Up front, Allan Jacobsen served up another display containing his trademark dogged determination while Matt Mustchin's know-how and ability to keep the ball alive helped Scotland move forward.  But it was Chris Paterson, selected to play on the wing this time out, who produced another flawless goal-kicking performance that ultimately proved the difference between the two sides and that gave Scotland their first win against Argentina since November 1990.

Moment of the match:  While it's fair to say that Graeme Morrison's swan dive under the posts sealed the deal for the Scots, there was a moment before kick-off that showed more passion and emotion than any try celebrated by either team.  The Fernandez Lobbe brothers were extremely emotional before kick-off, with Juan -- playing for the last time with his brother Ignacio -- crying for more than a minute after the anthems as he hugged his elder brother while the rest of his team lined up for the kick-off.  Who said big boys don't cry?

Villain of the match:  Two guilty parties on this occasion.  Argentinian captain Felipe Contepomi and Scotland prop Euan Murray.  Contepomi lost the plot as he fought with Scotland's tighthead yards from play.  The prop emerged from the scuffle with a badly bruised cheek and, after one exchange too many between the pair, the ref showed both the yellow card.

The scorers:

For Argentina:
Tries:  I Fernandez Lobbe, Agulla
Cons:  Todeschin 2

For Scotland:
Tries:  Ford, Morrison

Cons:  Paterson 2
Pens:  Paterson 4

Yellow cards:  Contepomi, punching (Argentina, 54 min);  Murray, punching (Scotland, 54 min).

The teams:

Argentina:  15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 Lucas Borges, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Felipe Contepomi (c), 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Federico Todeschini, 9 Nicolas Vergallo, 8 Manuel Leguizamon, 7 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Martin Durand, 5 Esteban Lozada, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 3 Santiago Gonzalez Bonorino, 2 Alvaro Tejeda, 1 Marcos Ayerza,
Replacements:  16 Pablo Gambarini, 17 Juan Gomez, 18 James Stuart, 19 Alvaro Galindo, 20 Alfredo Lalanne, 21 Federico Aramburu, 22 Federico Serra.

Scotland:  15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Chris Paterson, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Simon Webster, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Mike Blair (c), 8 Allister Hogg, 7 John Barclay, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Matt Mustchin, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements:  16 Dougie Hall, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Alastair Kellock, 19 Kelly Brown, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Dan Parks, 22 Nick De Luca.

Referee:  Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Touch judges:  Alan Lewis (Ireland), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
Television match official:  Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
Assessor:  Dennis Immelman (South Africa)