Schoeman scores in 50th as Scotland defeat Los Pumas with record score
MATCH REPORT: Prop Pierre Schoeman scored for Scotland on the occasion of his 50th Test as they hammered Argentina with a record score of 47-38 in the Nations Championship in Cordoba on Saturday.
*To recap all the action, CLICK HERE!
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu had a field day – scoring a try and setting up another.
Centre Tuipulotu’s contributions came in a dominant first half before a clinical 30 minutes in the second period for the visitors, who claimed their best-ever result in the South American country, having notched up 44 points in 2018.
Los Pumas managed to claim a bonus point thanks to a late Lucio Cinti effort in a lacklustre performance.
Next Saturday, Argentina hosts Wales and Scotland head to Rugby World Cup holders South Africa.
Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi handed lock Matias Alemanno his 100th cap, and his hometown winger Rodrigo Isgro one of just six players to keep their starting spot from last November’s away loss to England.
Scotland boss Gregor Townsend gave Tom Jordan the No.10 jersey with the influential Finn Russell injured.
Another Cordoba native in No.8 Joaquin Oviedo opened the scoring from a rolling maul, but by the 25-minute mark, Scotland led at a chilly, sparsely-crowded Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes and never let it up from there.
The clinical visitors had a 12-7 advantage as Tuipulotu and Pierre Schoeman went over with Fergus Burke, on as a temporary head injury replacement for Jordan with the conversion.
By the interval, Townsend’s tourists were 19-10 up as Tuipulotu turned the provider for midfield partner Rory Hutchinson and Jordan nailed the extras after Pumas fly-half Tomas Albornoz had kicked a penalty.
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Scotland maintained control by the hour mark with locks Fraser Brown and Scott Cummings going over after Isgro had scored just after the break.
Contepomi’s side’s hopes of a comeback were boosted with 13 minutes left as replacement prop Tomas Rapetti sneaked over and Scotland winger Jamie Dobie was yellow-carded in the build-up to the try.
The visitors, however, re-established their comfortable advantage two minutes later as replacement hooker Gregor Hiddleston made the most of a rolling maul on his debut and Burke added the conversion to make it 40-24.
Los Pumas’ back-rower Joaquin Moro was sin-binned for his ill discipline before Hiddleston’s effort, and Scotland fullback Kyle Rowe made sure of victory despite late consolation efforts from Cinti and Agustin Moyano.
Scorers:
For Argentina:
Tries: Oviedo, Isgro, Rapetti, Cinti, Moyano
Cons: Albornoz 5
Pen: Albornoz
For Scotland:
Tries: Tuipulotu, Schoeman, Hutchinson, Brown, Cummings, Hiddleston, Rowe
Cons: Burke 3, Jordan 3
Yellow cards: Jamie Dobie (Scotland, 64′), Joaquin Moro (Argentina, 68′)
Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Faustino Sanchez Valarolo, 11 Mateo Carreras; 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Santiago Grondona, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti; 3 Pedro Delgado, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Mayco Vivas
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Boris Wenger, 18 Tomas Rapetti, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Joaquin Moro, 21 Agustin Moyano, 22 Matias Morono, 23 Bautista Delguy
Scotland: 15 Kyle Rowe, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (captain), 11 Jamie Dobie, 10 Tom Jordan, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Jonny Gray, 3 Elliot Millar Mills, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Alex Samuel, 20 Gregor Brown, 21 George Horne, 22 Fergus Burke, 23 Darcy Graham.
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)
