Scotland get their last laugh
Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:44
From one brother to another: Rory Lamont
Canada came out of the doldrums on Saturday with a massive 41-0 victory over visitors Canada at Pittodrie; a try blitz which included a brace from wing Nikki Walker.
Scotland slid and shivered their way to a confidence-boosting triumph in arctic conditions - the visitors should have felt more at home in the cold snap, but they had no answer to the pace, power and poise of the Scots.
Now coach Frank Hadden will aim to use the win as a springboard to success in the looming Six Nations campaign and the hosts - and Nikki Walker in particular - couldn't have dreamed of a brighter start.
In the wake of a series of patiently controlled phases, their gamble in running a penalty instead of going for goal paid handsome dividends.
Simon Taylor was hauled down just a stride short of the target, but thanks to a slick piece of link-play by Phil Godman, recalled wing Walker had the time and space to slither over in the corner.
It was a sweet moment for Walker who was making an emotional return to the stadium where he cheered on Aberdeen FC as a teenager.
Canada replied in positive fashion and only a last-gasp tackle by Rory Lamont prevented skipper Ed Fairhurst from sneaking over for an instant equaliser.
Having survived the scare, Scotland surged back into attack with Godman sparking panic among the Canadian back-ranks with a delicate chip.
They cleared the immediate danger, but had to regroup to deal with potent charges by Walker, Ben Cairns and Nick De Luca.
A sizzling run from Simon Webster then set up a clear-cut scoring chance for flank John Barclay.
The Glasgow man dived over - only for video referee Nigel Whitehouse to rule that he had put a toe on the touchline a split second before claiming the try.
Play became scrappy and disjointed with both sets of players struggling to cope with the treacherous surface, which had been cleared of tons of snow in
the build up to the kick-off.
Lamont sparked the next Scotland raid with a cheeky grubber kick, but it was expertly mopped up by James Pritchard.
Seconds later, Canucks breakaway forward Adam Kleeberger was warned by referee George Clancy for an offside challenge on Mike Blair - leaving Godman with a formality of a penalty to stretch the lead.
But there was another fright for Scotland when a Walker clearance was charged down and only a frantic tackle by Lamont kept Canada out.
The mood changed two minutes before the interval as Cairns streaked in for try number two following great work by centre partner De Luca.
Godman banged over the conversion from a tricky angle to make the cushion 15 points at half-time.
The Scots maintained the momentum after the restart and John Barclay wrestled his way over for another touchdown - earning consolation for his earlier disappointment.
Godman's kick was spot-on and it effectively ended the match as a contest.
Taylor was then hauled down a metre from the line after latching on to an interception on halfway.
Scotland kept up the pressure and Al Strokosch pounced for the next try after a pick-and-drive sequence. Godman added the extras.
That was the cue for Hadden to deploy most of his replacements, knowing the win was in the bag.
Man of the match Walker burst back into the action to complete his double, with sub Dan Parks turning it into a seven pointer. And the rout was completed by Lamont.
Scorers:
For Scotland:
Tries: Walker 2, Cairns, Barclay, Strokosch, Lamont
Cons: Godman 3, Parks
Pen: Godman
For Canada:
None
Teams:
Scotland: 15 Rory Lamont, 14 Simon Webster, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Nick De Luca, 11 Nikki Walker, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Mike Blair
(captain), 8 Simon Taylor, 7 John Barclay, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Dougie Hall, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Matt Mustchin, 19 Scott Gray, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Dan Parks, 22 Max Evans.
Canada: 15 James Pritchard, 14 Sean Duke, 13 Ciaran Hearn, 12 Ryan Smith, 11 Justin Mensah-Coker, 10 Matt Evans, 9 Ed Fairhurst (captain), 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Adam Kleeberger, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Josh Jackson, 4 Tyler Hotson, 3 Scott Franklin, 2 Mike Pletch, 1 Kevin Tkachuk.
Replacements: 16 Frank Walsh, 17 Mike Burak, 18 Sean Michael Stephen, 19 Morgan Williams, 20 Nathan Hirayama, 21 Bryn Keys, 22 TBC.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Touch judges: Alan Lewis (Ireland), Steve Terheege (England)
TMO: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)
AFP
