Hadden struggles to hold in anger
Scotland coach fumes over lucky Bok victory
Scotland supremo Frank Hadden could not disguise his anger and frustration in the wake of his side's second controversial defeat at the hands of the Springboks in as many weeks.
The coach diplomatically sidestepped the opportunity to directly criticise referee Tony Spreadbury over the incidents that decided the second Test in Port Elizabeth.
The English official directly intervened in the game after Scotland had entered the final quarter with a realistic chance of victory but instead they succumbed to a 29-15 defeat.
"Who would have thought the number two side in the world would need a couple of dodgy decisions to beat us on their own turf?" said Hadden as diplomatically as possible.
Hadden was referring in particular to the minute-long sequence midway through the second half which effectively handed the glory to the Boks.
Chris Paterson's breakaway try was chalked off by Spreadbury for a dubious knock-on by Scots defender Simon Webster and straight from the scrum, South Africa pounced for their crucial only try.
"We played well enough to win – but they had all the luck that was going," said Hadden determinedly.
"Last weekend, they bullied us in Durban, but this time our forwards were up for the fight.
"I had asked the guys to produce something special by becoming the first Scotland team to win in South Africa. They failed to do that – but they did produce a remarkable effort which was hugely courageous and brave.
"But at the end of the day, the Springboks had every bounce of the ball – and every debatable decision went against us."
Hadden was echoed by Scotland skipper Jason White.
"We fronted up physically, but the important decisions seemed to go against us," said White.
"Chris was convinced he had scored – and so was Simon at the end of the first half when a knock-on was ruled immediately before he touched down.
"It will be very interesting when we sit down and take a long look at the video re-runs.
"We didn't win – but the performance certainly bodes well for the future."
