Player ratings: Mud men
Scotland failed to fire, other than the occasional cheap shot, as they were shut out 0-28 by South Africa.
Matching the miserable conditions at Murrayfield, with some assistance from French referee Jerome Garces, the Scots attempted to turn the game into an arm wrestle.
However, they failed to match the physicality of the Springboks and their skills also let them down.
It is telling that they failed to score a try, despite having more than 70 percent of the ball in the second half.
Jan de Koning rates the Scotland players!
15 Sean Maitland:
Very quiet first half and some poor kicks in the second. Had a few decent dashes after the break.
5/10
14 Tommy Seymour:
Was not in the game at all before the break. Did well to deal with some Bok bombs in the second half and managed to beat two defenders.
6/10
13 Nick De Luca:
Good early tackle to shut down a dangerous move, but failed to make an impact when the Scots dominated possession in the second half.
5/10
12 Duncan Taylor:
There was an early kick directly into touch and slipped far too many tackles. He also struggled to hold onto the ball, a real issue, given Scotland's domination of second half possession.
4/10
11 Sean Lamont:
Did well under early Bok bombs and made a few crucial tackles inside his 22. Was the Scots' most dangerous back, as he recorded some impressive running metres.
7/10
10 Ruaridh Jackson:
A couple of great cross-field kicks that exposed the Boks out wide and made all his tackles, but a very limited player.
6/10
9 Greig Laidlaw (captain):
Some crucial tackles inside his 22 when the Boks threatened, but also missed a crucial first-half tackle in the lead-up to the JP Pietersen try. Was mostly a link and never really tested the Boks.
5/10
8 David Denton:
Tackled hard all day and took his count into double figures. Was also Scotland's best line-out option.
7/10
7 John Barclay:
Had plenty of carries, without any real success. Was generally solid on defence, slipping just one tackle.
6/10
6 Alasdair Strokosch:
He did what the referee allowed him to do – plenty of which was illegal – and made some sloppy handling errors. To his credit, he had the highest tackle count for the Scots.
7/10
5 Jim Hamilton:
He tried to intimidate the Boks, but they were having none of it. His thuggish behaviour failed to disrupt the South Africa and was it a real ref (other than blind Jerome Garces) he would have been carded for his head/shoulder charge on Francois Louw at a ruck. Oh, did I mention he lost more line-outs than he won.
0/10
4 Richie Gray:
Made his tackles and took his line-outs, but failed to add any physicality to the game. At times he has anonymous.
6/10
3 Moray Low:
Struggled in the scrums, missed a few tackles and did very little else. In his three carries with the ball he failed to make a single metre.
4/10
2 Ross Ford:
His line-out throwing was a bit iffy, but his defence was enormous – making 11 tackles without missing any. Was ineffective with his ball carries.
5/10
1 Alasdair Dickinson:
Worked hard on defence, but failed in his basic functions. Under pressure in the scrums and had just two carries – failing to make a single metre.
5/10
Replacements:
16 Scott Lawson (on for Ford, 55th min):
He was virtually anonymous, other than one tackle and one carry.
4/10
17 Ryan Grant (on for Dickinson, 55th min):
Had a handful of half-decent carries and made all his tackles. The Scottish scrum also seemed more steady.
6/10
18 Geoff Cross:
Not used.
19 Jonny Gray (on for R Gray, 61st min):
Not in his brother's class yet, but did steal a line-out off the Boks.
5/10
20 John Beattie (on for Barclay, 64th min):
Made a whopping 10 tackles and nine carries in his short stay.
7/10
21 Chris Cusiter (on for Laidlaw, 68th min):
Not enough time to be rated.
22 Duncan Weir (on for Jackson, 55th min):
Added some zip to the Scotland attack, but it was outside him that it all went pearshaped.
6/10
23 Max Evans (on for Seymour, 64th min):
Simply made no impact.
4/10
