Rugby: Scots manage second win but fail to spark

Scotland scored their second win in six matches on their New Zealand rugby tour last night with a 24-7 victory over second-division Hawkes Bay in Napier.

They ran in two tries to one, with replacement back Duncan Hodge kicking 11 points from three penalties and a conversion.

The win was much needed by the tourists, who were thrashed 20-69 in the first test last Saturday and have generally experienced a difficult tour which has been compounded by a string of injuries to test and midweek players.

Scotland play the second test in Auckland on Saturday night.

They dominated possession and territory, holding 90 per cent on both fronts, but once again could not translate that into points as much as they would have liked, or should have.

The home side tackled courageously and held on for most of the match, taking some hard hits from the driving play of the Scottish forwards.

With a try in each half, the first by flanker Roland Reid and then winger Shaun Longstaff, and Hodge kicking timely penalties, the tourists were ahead throughout the match, played at times in driving rain.

Scotland had only eight points at halftime to show for the huge amount of possession and territorial advantage they enjoyed in the first spell with numerous waves of attack through their forwards.

But their inability to break through the midfield and some brave defence by Mutu Ngarimu, Michael Johnson, Davis Norman and Marty Lloyd, made the tourists look no better than a second-division New Zealand team.

Scotland took 24 minutes to score the first points, through a try by Reid, and first five-eighths and captain Graham Shiel kicked a penalty seven minutes later.

Hodge, who came on for centre David Officer and switched to first five-eighths, livened up the Scots backline.

As the Hawkes Bay players infringed under constant pressure, Hodge stretched the Scottish lead with three penalties.

Hawkes Bay managed to string together a fine piece of attacking play through the middle, with players running off each other until openside flanker Tafai Ioasa scooted in to score between the posts.

First five-eighths Scott Leighton kicked the conversion.

Former Wellington winger Longstaff screamed down the left when the Hawkes Bay defence was caught short following three phases of forward drives to stretch the tourists' lead.

Afterwards, Scottish coach Ian McGeechan said he was delighted with his team's efforts.

"This is what the boys have been working towards and I thought tonight's performance was as good as any on the tour.

"The conditions weren't easy but we did the right thing by keeping the ball and not making mistakes," McGeechan said. " I think our midfield did a lot of good work from which the forwards benefited."

Hawkes Bay coach Mark Shaw said his team were outplayed in the possession stakes.

"You can't play without the ball and the Scots kept it for a long period which made it very difficult for us."

Shaw praised his team's defensive efforts.

Scotland 24 (Roland Reid, Shaun Longstaff tries; Duncan Hodge 3 pen, con, Graham Shiel pen) Hawkes Bay 7 (Tafai Ioasa try; Scott Leighton con). Ht: 8-0.

- NZPA