Hadden joy at his history-making Scots

Argentina 14 Scotland 26

Published:

FIGHTING SPIRIT: Argentina’s Juan Fernandez Lobbe is tackled by Scotland’s John Barclay, left, and Allan Jacobsen in Buenos Aires.

DELIGHT: Scotland coach Frank Hadden.

RECORD BREAKER: Chris Paterson broke Scott Murray's appearance record of 87 caps in Argentina.

SCOTLAND coach Frank Hadden was delighted to become the first national side to beat Argentina in 18 years as he eased the pressure on his job in Buenos Aries.

Hadden had been under pressure to get a result following last week’s defeat to the Pumas, and he duly delivered as the Scots ran out 26-14 winners.

The Scots ended a seven-match losing streak against the Pumas, with the last win against home or away coming in 1990.

“We had never beaten Argentina at junior levels, U19, U21 and we had only one win against Argentina in a full cap,” he said.

“So, obviously, we are very proud. A lot of the games were very close, so maybe we had our reward because of these close matches.

“Argentina are a thorn for everybody. Everybody finds it difficult to play against them, because they are a very strong rugby-playing country.”

The tourists lost 21-15 in Rosario in the first Test match but Hadden was most impressed by the progress made by his forwards against the world-class Pumas pack as they fought back for Scotland’s first victory in the South American country since 1969.

“The tour was positive, but the bottom line is we needed to win further for it to be a positive experience,” said Hadden.

“It is hard to be positive when you play well and lose like we did last week. You have to get the confidence and self-belief you need to make progress.”

Chris Paterson kicked 16 points as he became Scotland’s most capped player.