Rugby Union: Scotland dig deep: Dalgleish shines

Buenos Aires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Scotland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

A LAST-MINUTE penalty by Mike Dods enabled Scotland to salvage a draw with Buenos Aires last night at the start of their six-match Argentinian tour.

The teenage winger Chris Dalgleish scored two tries and the centre Scott Nichol also crossed following a brilliant break by Gregor Townsend.

With Dods kicking two early penalties it seemed those tries would be sufficient to see the Scots home. With three minutes remaining they led 21-17, but the winger Albanese was allowed to run unchallenged for 40 metres across field and deep into the Scottish 22. When eventually tackled, a grubber kick was picked up by the winger Horatio Rivarola to score.

Scotland dug deep and, after a penalty moments earlier, were given a kick at goal for offside, which Dods put away.

Buenos Aires: Tries Lerga, Rivarola; Conversion Forrester; Penalties: Forrester 4. Scotland: Tries Nichol, Dalgleish 2; Penalties Dodds 4.

Buenos Aires: R Bullrich; H Rivarola, F Garcia, E Laborde, D Albanese; D Forrester, F Salvat; M Grotte, M Bosch, G Holmgren, G Ugartemandia (capt), M Lerga, D Devries, P Camerlinckx, P Traini.

SCOTLAND: M Dods (Gala); C Joiner (Melrose), S Nichol (Selkirk), G Shiel (Melrose), C Dalgleish (Gala); G Townsend (Gala), D Patterson (Edinburgh Academicals); A Sharp (Bristol), K McKenzie (Stirling County), S Ferguson (Peebles), J Richardson (Edinburgh Academicals), A Reed (Bath, capt), P Walton (Northampton), S Reid (Boroughmuir), I Smith (Gloucester).

Referee: S Borsani (Rosario).

Ireland yesterday slumped to their second defeat in three matches on their Australian tour, in Canberra, where they were outplayed 22-9 by Australian Capital Territory, whose only previous win over a Five Nations visitor was their defeat of Wales by a point in 1978.