Player ratings: Not Scotland's best

Phew! Scotland will be breathing a huge sigh of relief after their 34-24 Pool B win over Romania on Saturday. What will worry them, however, was the performance of their tight five.

It was not Scotland’s best day at the office and they deserve some credit for edging out their determined – and powerful – opponents.

However, the Oaks dismantled Scotland up front and Ruaridh Jackson had a tricky afternoon in the crucial flyhalf channel.

Still, there were some positives in the form of match-winner Simon Danielli, wing partner Max Evans and centre Joe Ansbro – but coach Andy Robinson needs to find ways to get the ball to his most creative men more regularly.

We rate the Scottish players:

15 Chris Paterson:
A mixed bag for Scotland’s veteran fullback. He opened Scotland’s account with a second-minute penalty and then fluffed a conversion from right in front as the ball fell off the kicking tee. He landed the crucial kicks, however, and was good enough in general play – scoring his 800th Test point in the process with his 70th-minute penalty which drew things level at 24-24.
6/10

14 Max Evans:
Like his wing partner, Simon Danielli, Evans was full of running all day long. Sadly, he did not get enough ball.
7/10

13 Joe Ansbro:
This man could be one of the stars at RWC 2011 – taking is try well in what looked like a simple attacking drill. However, he did not have enough opportunities on attack. He showed up well enough on defence.
7/10

12 Sean Lamont:
Like most of his backline, not enough opportunities… His bulk could have been used better to set the ball up in midfield.
5/10

11 Simon Danielli:
Scotland’s hero and match-winner. Some might argue that he simply finished two bits of good work from No.8 Richie Vernon, but he finished both efforts brilliantly and could have been a bigger weapon had he been brought into the game more.
8/10

10 Ruaridh Jackson:
Not his best day out – a mixed bag in the end. He was replaced after just 12 minutes in the second half.
4/10

9 Mike Blair:
Scotland are very lucky to have the likes of Blair, Chris Cusiter and Rory Lawson to call upon at halfback. Blair was solid and did little wrong before being replaced by Cusiter with twenty minutes left. Took his try well.
6/10

8 Richie Vernon:
His late flurry – which saw him set up both of Danielli’s tries – won some favour with us. He was, however, very quiet up until then.
7/10

7 John Barclay:
A very quiet showing from Barclay as his tight five struggled. He was replaced by Ross Rennie in the second half.
5/10

6 Kelly Brown:
Like Barclay, Brown was not able to stamp his authority on the match.
5/10

5 Alastair Kellock (captain):
Kept his team calm under some serious pressure, but was part of a misfiring Scottish line-out.
6/10

4 Richie Gray:
Not the way he would have liked to have announced himself on the World Cup stage. He is a talent – of that there is no doubt – but he found the going tough up front against the Oaks.
4/10

3 Geoff Cross:
Part of a front row that was put under severe pressure at scrum time.
5/10

2 Ross Ford:
A tough day at the office for the Scottish front row. Their line-out was also wobbly. Capable of better and was outplayed by his brilliant opponent, Romanian captain Marius Tincu.
5/10

1 Allan Jacobsen:
Not seen much, but mainly because he was kept busy by a powerful Oaks front row.
5/10

Replacements:

16 Scott Lawson (on for Ross Ford, 70th min):
Tried to get stuck in, but ten minutes is not quite enough for a hooker to show his worth.
5/10

17 Alasdair Dickinson:
Not used.

18 Nathan Hines (on for Richie Gray, 52nd min):
Provided some much-needed steel when it mattered most.
6/10

19 Ross Rennie (on for John Barclay, 61st min):
Did not make much of an impact but looked busy enough.
5/10

20 Chris Cusiter (on for Mike Blair, 61st min):
Like the man he replaced, he did little wrong. Could the nippier Rory Lawson put the duo under pressure for their matchday places?
6/10

21 Dan Parks (on for Ruaridh Jackson, 52nd min):
Like Jackson, he was unable to take the game by the scruff of its neck. Inconsistent re-starts did not help either. Scotland could have a problem at No.10 during the World Cup.
5/10

22 Rory Lamont:
Not used.