Amateur's hour

Scots beat brave Uruguay 43-12

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Saturday October 09, 1999 11:52 AM

Glenn Metcalfe of Scotland is stopped by a pair of Uruguayan defenders. David Rogers/Allsport

EDINBURGH, Scotland (CNN/SI) -- Although Scotland won its Rugby World Cup match against Uruguay 43-12 at Murrayfield on Friday, it was the South Americans who left the field in high spirits.

The largely unknown squad comprised mainly of amateurs gave the professional Scots a tough time, and it was only with two tries in the final 10 minutes of the match that the Five Nations champions solidified its hold on the match.

Uruguayan coach Daniel Herrera, saying the result could have been even better for his side, called his players the moral winners.

"Sometimes winning a game isn't just about the score. With a brave heart -- and morally -- you can win too," he said.

"This is a lesson in how a team of 14 amateurs who wake up at six or seven in the morning, study, work, lift weights and train at night three times a week can compete at a World Cup," he added.

Scotland coach Jim Telfer gave credit to Uruguay, but said he was disappointed by his team's performance.

"We didn't get the continuity we wanted," he said. "Psychologically, the players were probably not up for the game today."

The Scottish tries were scored by Martin Leslie, Gary Armstrong, Gordon Simpson, Glenn Metcalfe, Gregor Townsend and Robert Russell. Kenny Logan scored 11 points.

For Uruguay, Diego Aguirre scored three penalties, and Federico Sciarra added a fourth.

The Scots, starting lethargically, opened the scoring with a penalty by Logan after just two minutes. But Uruguay was awarded a penalty straight from the restart for high tackling, and Aguirre equalized.

The Uruguayans were strong in the tackle and scrapped for every ball. But for a 15-minute period, it became one-way traffic, with the cool, dry weather ideal for Scotland's preferred running game.

After 12 minutes, the Scottish forwards powered toward the line following a lineout, and Leslie scored a pushover try, his second of the tournament. Logan converted to make it 10-3.

Seven minutes later, Leslie burst down the right following a lineout and fed captain Armstrong who ran in a try. Logan again converted to make it 17-3.

The Scots should have continued to relish the extra space that just wasn't there against South Africa in their opening match, but too often they fell into the South Americans' trap of stifling play. Throughout the match, Uruguay only passed the ball out to the wing once.

Sciarra then scored another penalty to make it 17-6.

After 29 minutes, Kiwi Gordon Simpson broke from the scrum to dive over the line and score his first ever try for his adopted country. Logan converted from under the posts to make it 24-6.

Two minutes later, Armstrong broke from within his half, passed to Logan and fullback Metcalfe shrugged off three Uruguayans to just touch down in the left corner.

But it was the Uruguayans who finished the half on a high note, despite failing to score.

A fine forward drive some 50 meters into Scottish territory won a penalty, and instead of trying to close the gap with a relatively easy penalty they kicked to the corner in search of a try.

For five minutes, they pounded away in the scrum, led by 40-year-old captain Diego Ormaechea, forcing the Scots over the line on a couple of occasions, but eventually the Scots cleared.

At half-time, the score stood at 29-6.

Two minutes into the second half, Uruguay's Aguirre scored a third penalty to make it 29-9.

They then forced a string of errors from the Scots. Ormaechea, the oldest player ever to play in a World Cup, drove forward relentlessly, and Aguirre scored another penalty to get them into double figures at 29-12.

The Scots went 30 minutes in the second period without even getting a score on the board.

But Townsend then sold the Uruguayan defense a dummy 10 meters from the tryline, and ran through a gap to score. Logan converted to make it 36-12.

With three minutes left, substitute hooker Russell scored a pushover to get his first ever try for his country, and Logan converted.

Ormaechea, one game away from international retirement, summed up his team's tactics, saying: "This shows you can also enjoy yourself by defending."

"Nobody likes losing, but each of us left a positive image," he said.

Scottish captain Gary Armstrong, substituted after a late tackle from an Uruguayan left him with a bruised back, said: "It was very frustrating out there. The Uruguayans knocked us of our game a wee bit."

The match was played in front of a tiny crowd of just 9,463 in the 67,000-capacity stadium.

Scotland

Uruguay

Referee: Stuart Dickinson, Australia.

 

Related information
Stories
Notebook: Respectful silence; absent fans Notebook: Record farewell; Welsh pride Namibia proves troublesome for France Scotland almost at full-strength against Uruguay South Africa skipper critical of bigger field
Multimedia
Visit Multimedia Central for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.