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PARIS - Eighty minutes of rugby were not enough for Scotland to stop Argentina from reaching the World Cup semifinals for the first time, coach Frank Hadden said after his side's elimination today.
Scotland lost 19-13 in a fierce, if not spectacular, quarter-final at the Stade de France.
"If the game had lasted 10 more minutes, maybe we would have had a chance of winning it," Hadden said.
Argentina, who have not lost to Scotland since 1990 and have beaten them six times since, looked in control for most of the match but then ran out of steam and struggled to survive a late rally from their opponents.
"They put a stranglehold on the game for three quarters of it," said Hadden, whose team trailed 13-6 after a dull first half with few highlights.
The second half featured a spirited comeback from Scotland, who camped tantalisingly close to Argentina's tryline for long spells towards the end, but it all came too late.
"Argentina were extremely streetwise and sharp," Hadden said of a team who had warned how dangerous they were with victories over France and Ireland in the pool stage.
"They put a lot of pressure on the breakdown and we found that very difficult to deal with in the first half.
"With the energy they put in there, they were always going to tire down but we could not capitalise on that."
Scotland, who have reached the quarterfinals at all five World Cups but made the last four only once, in 1991, looked as brave and determined as ever. But they showed only glimpses of attractive rugby throughout the tournament.
"The defences are coming up so fast, there's so much pressure on the attack that most matches at this World Cup have been tight, tense affairs," Hadden pointed out.
While Argentina now challenge South Africa for a place in the final, Scotland, who have lost their way in recent years and took the wooden spoon in this year's Six Nations, will head home wishing for a better future.
"I'm very confident that our young side will have learned from this," Hadden said. "In the next few years I'm sure we will be a side to be reckoned with."
- REUTERS
