Scotland v Argentina: Five takeaways as ‘abject capitulation’ puts pressure on Gregor Townsend while Los Pumas celebrate ‘greatest comeback’
Argentina celebrate victory at Murrayfield and Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend.
Following a 33-24 victory for Argentina over Scotland on Sunday, here’s our five takeaways from the international clash at Murrayfield.
The top line
Argentina pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of Test rugby at Murrayfield to consign Scotland to an ignominious defeat after the hosts had completely dominated the first 56 minutes of this astonishing match.
It was the stuff of dreams, a turnaround of magnificent proportions, one that cements Argentina’s place right at the top table of Test rugby and puts them on the front foot as they travel to Twickenham next week to face one of the fiercest rivals, England.
For all money Scotland looked home and hosed; 21-0 up after 43 minutes, dominating set-piece, collision and territory, it looked like being a great day for Gregor Townsend’s men, one that would see them leapfrog Los Pumas in the rankings and banish the inefficiencies of their performance against New Zealand.
But no.
If ever one match turned on one moment, it was when Finn Russell threw a speculative pass with the Argentinian line at Scotland’s mercy, only for Los Pumas to intercept and go the length.
It was jeopardy summed up in a nano second, a change of fortune of monumental proportions and one that simply illustrated what a high quality outfit this wonderful Argentinian side are.
Five tries in 26 minutes came from Julian Montoya, Rodrigo Isgro, Pedro Rubiolo, the immense and brilliant Pablo Matera with Justo Piccardo adding the coup de grace in the last seconds.
For the record, Scotland’s tries came from Jack Dempsey and the outstanding Ewan Ashman, who touched down twice, but in the final analysis it was Matera and Santi Carreras that shook Murrayfield to the core and threw fresh questions out around the future of this underachieving but hugely talented Scottish team.
The beef squad
We’ve talked about Bombs and Poms all week, but the explosion of the beefy Argentinian bench was absolutely defining in terms of talk around strategic impact replacement.
It was Carreras that lit the touch paper and ignited the fireworks in the backline as he ran direct angles around the tramlines that simply shredded the Scottish defence. But as brilliant as his impact was, it had to be that be-mulleted figure of the truly great Matera that brought the emotion, the passion, the belief and around 120kgs of prime Argentinian beef.
Both men were huge; Matera in 26 minutes made eight thundering carries, Carreras the same number but two crucial line breaks. And what of the others? Thomas Gallo had a bowling ball last quarter, thundering into Scottish shoulders nine times from short range, each one a dagger into the host’s defensive effort. Piccardo was a key man in continuity and Ignacio Ruiz killed Scotland off with some incredible efforts to stay on his feet and gain vital metres.
It was immense, it was memorable and above all, it was absolutely symbolic of the tightness of this iteration of Los Pumas. Magnificent.
How did it unfold?
With 17 minutes left, Scotland were still in control after Russell’s penalty, but what followed was a Pumas surge that felt like a tidal wave. Isgro crashed over on 59 minutes, Carreras converting. Then Montoya bulldozed through two minutes later, again Carreras on target.
Blair Kinghorn’s yellow tilted the axis, and Argentina were ruthless – a sin-binning that was an absolute momentum killer, but critically, had a massive structural impact on the hosts. Scotland lost their backfield organiser and kicking outlet, forcing frantic reshuffles and Argentina read the reorganisation, Carreras seized the space, hammering the edges and accelerating tempo. That 10-minute yellow card spell flipped control, Scotland’s structure cracked, and the Pumas finally found vital oxygen and no less self belief after 50 minutes of wheezing lethargy.
Rubiolo’s close-range finish on 69 minutes, assisted by Grondona, flipped the script completely. S. Carreras nailed the extras. Scotland rang the changes to bring on some fresh cattle and get a foothold with Duhan van der Merwe, Josh Bayliss and George Turner, but momentum was gone. Matera powered over on 75 minutes, Piccardo the link man at the end, and Carreras kept his boot perfect.
Scotland’s defensive shape disintegrated under relentless tempo and collision dominance. Five tries in 26 minutes, every one built on gainline wins and offload ambition with substitution-added fresh legs. Try as they might, neither the host of quality in the team nor Scotland’s bench could stem the bleeding.
It was a comeback for the ages, and a warning shot to every side in the world.
Controlled for so long
For the first 50-odd minutes, Scotland had such a stranglehold on this match that you’d wonder why Argentina are held in such high regard at the moment. Los Pumas were a ghost of themselves; flat-footed, passive, and utterly devoid of urgency, looking like men who’d spent too much time on the Laphroig last night. Every ruck was a chore, every carry a concession. This wasn’t the snarling Pumas we know, it was a side sleepwalking through a Test match, waiting to check into the lounge for the flight down to Heathrow, waiting for someone else to write their story.
The Scottish defence and set-piece was quite brilliant for that period; a 94% tackle success with only nine missed, five steals in the lineout, three scrum penalties and 26% dominance in collision. But that second period saw Scotland double their match tackle count but miss a remarkable 19 in the last 25 minutes, as they managed only 77% in the close out of the game.
Perhaps it was nerves, perhaps it was fatigue. The truth is it was a bit of both, but don’t denude how Carreras turned the tide. He attacked where legs were heavy and in the air where he knew Argentina held the aces, and Scotland literally fell apart under the pressure, a cruel reward for their excellence for long periods of this match.
Townsend under the microscope
This result will shape the conversation around Townsend in a way few games do.
In the lead up to this game, it was generally accepted that this was a statement about where Scotland stand in the hierarchy. For a coach who has built his tenure on ambition and attacking clarity, this match becomes a pivotal reference point. Scotland produced passages of rugby that were sharp and inventive, but the closing quarter asked different questions; questions about adaptability, about how leadership responds when momentum shifts, and about the depth of decision-making under pressure. Those are the areas that will now dominate the analysis.
Townsend’s vision has always been expansive, and this campaign was designed to show that Scotland can marry creativity with control against elite opposition, and for 50 odd minutes, the Scots did exactly that. But Test rugby is outcome-based and after two poor results and, cruelly, abject capitulation in this match, you have to ask if his position is no longer tenable. Scotland have a fine side and word is that a new voice is needed. The next few days will tell us all.
Argentina, meanwhile, will relish England next week. They have rotated smartly, rested key forwards, and finished this match with a surge that speaks of confidence and cohesion. Expect them to arrive in London with intent, aggression and looking to repeat their feats of 2022.