ZCZC
BSP-24
RUGBYU-SCO-ARG-TOWNSEND
Townsend hails another Hastings doing Scotland proud
RESISTENCIA, Argentina, June 24, 2018 (AFP) – Fly-half Adam Hastings, a
son of Scotland rugby legend Gavin, was among a trio hailed by coach Gregor
Townsend Sunday after a 44-15 thrashing of Argentina in a one-off Test.
Scrum-half George Horne and flanker Fraser Brown also received special
praise following an unexpectedly convincing victory for the experimental
touring team.
Victory in northeast Argentina completed a tour in which the Scots
overwhelmed Canada 48-10 but suffered a shock 30-29 loss to the United
States.
Although the Pumas came into the match having lost twice to Wales, few
among the 22,000 crowd in Resistencia expected to witness such a one-sided
encounter.
“There was about a 140-cap difference between the two sets of half-backs
and Nicolas Sanchez and Martin Landajo are quality players in the Argentine
team,” noted Townsend.
“That was a huge challenge for Adam and George in their second starts
for Scotland but they played so positively, they went for gaps they knew were
there.
“That shows they were confident, they thrived in that environment. It
was really encouraging for the future.
“Adam is a confident guy,” Townsend said of the son of former Scotland
and British and Irish Lions skipper Gavin.
“He obviously did not have a brilliant experience last weekend (against
the United States), though there were some good things.
“It was great to see him put that behind him. All our team were very set
about playing Argentina, especially when we turned up and the crowd was
already in place.”
Townsend came to the Americas without some stars as he wanted to see the
likes of Hastings and Horne in action and hoped to increase squad depth ahead
of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Brown, a hooker turned loose forward, was another singled out by Townsend
after Scotland won a fifth consecutive Test in Argentina since 2008.
“Fraser is an excellent hooker and was superb over the ball. He got a
few balls at the tail of the lineout too.
“His back went into spasm after training on the eve of the match and he
had a fever overnight.
“Fraser got whacked a few times during the match but still produced an
outstanding performance. That is a credit to his toughness and what a good
player he is.”
While Townsend flew home a happy man, the outcome was a sad farewell for
Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade, who said last week he would quit after the
June Tests.
The 60-year-old believed “his message was not getting through” after
losing 22 of 28 Tests since finishing fourth at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in
England.
Mario Ledesma, coach of Buenos Aires-based Super Rugby outfit Jaguares,
is favoured to succeed Hourcade.
BSS/AFP/RY/1810 hrs