Scotland player ratings: Finn Russell’s ‘mad minute’ changes the game as Argentina take advantage of maverick’s ‘overconfidence’
Finn Russell in action against Argentina and the fly-half and Scotland team-mates dejected after loss.
Following a 33-24 defeat to Argentina in the end-of-year international in Edinburgh on Sunday, here are the player ratings for Scotland.
15 Blair Kinghorn: Didn’t have his best game against the All Blacks but he was better here. There were few – if any – errors while Kinghorn was a threat in attack without truly breaking free, but he copped a costly yellow card in the second period, even if it wasn’t really his fault. 6
14 Darcy Graham: Enjoys playing Argentina, as his hat-trick in November 2022 can testify, and he had another fine outing on Sunday. Graham didn’t get on the scoresheet this time but he was an absolute menace with ball in hand. 8
13 Rory Hutchinson: Finally getting a run of games at international level and he is showing his quality. There were some silky playmaking moments from Hutchinson as he linked nicely with Tuipulotu at centre. 7
12 Sione Tuipulotu: Not as influential as he can be, despite some good moments from the midfield powerhouse. Tuipulotu trucked it up hard all game but he was pretty well shackled by an excellent Argentina midfield combination. 6
11 Kyle Steyn: Had his moments with the Scotland back three always a threat but Steyn wasn’t quite as prominent as his fellow wing Graham. Still a good showing, however. 7
Huge error from the maverick
10 Finn Russell: For 50-odd minutes, he was absolutely superb. Russell created Jack Dempsey’s try with a sumptuous no-look pass, reminiscent of Twickenham in 2019, and controlled the game beautifully but a mad minute, which saw his poor pass intercepted, completely changed the game. It’s what you get with a player like Russell and you accept it given his remarkable ability and how many games he’s won for Scotland, but it makes it no less frustrating when his overconfidence gets the better of him. 4
9 Jamie Dobie: A late replacement for the ill Ben White and he took his chance impressively. Service was sharp, decision-making was good and his kicking kept Los Pumas on the back foot. 7
8 Jack Dempsey: Showed great space after exploding into a hole for the hosts’ opening try and he put himself about throughout the match. 7
7 Rory Darge: Similar to Dempsey, he couldn’t have done any more work on either side of the ball, but it was ultimately in a losing cause. 7
6 Gregor Brown: Went off early and was replaced by Matt Fagerson. N/A
Solid set-piece
5 Grant Gilchrist: The lineout went smoothly and Gilchrist was busy around the field as ever and you felt they missed his leadership in the latter stages. 6
4 Scott Cummings: Excellent once again from the British and Irish Lions tourist. Was superb in the lineout and he put in some big carries to be an influential player in the opening hour before Argentina took over. 7
3 D’arcy Rae: Has deputised well for Zander Fagerson. Stepped up against the All Blacks and continued in that vein versus Los Pumas before he had to go off just before the break. 6
2 Ewan Ashman: Arguably his best performance for Scotland as the very talented hooker touched down twice and was physical throughout. Ashman was also accurate in the set-piece in what was a top display. 8
1 Pierre Schoeman: Another fine shift from the loosehead. At one stage it looked like his scrum dominance would play a crucial role in the second period, but Los Pumas rendered it moot. 7
Replacements: Fagerson and Elliot Millar-Mills were enforced and both had their moments but Townsend was reluctant to go to the bench, even when the momentum started to shift, and that proved costly. Difficult to assess given the players weren’t really handed a chance to shine, but Scotland and the coaches got it badly wrong in the final half-hour. 4
READ MORE: Scotland v Argentina: Result, match details, stats, line-ups
