Sport

Hogg in tries as Scots rule

Pool C: Scotland v Romania Scotland ran out in white shirts and from the away dressing-room but their hospitality ended there…

Ian Malin at Murrayfield
Wed Sept 19 2007 - 01:00

Pool C: Scotland v RomaniaScotland ran out in white shirts and from the away dressing-room but their hospitality ended there last night. Romania had not been best pleased to leave their base in warmth of the south of France to play here and, after a chill Edinburgh evening, their World Cup dreams are in cold storage for another four years.

Romania were never going to be pushovers, with their entire pack playing with French clubs and the national side only five places behind Scotland in the world rankings, but Frank Hadden's team outplayed them.

Rory Lamont repeated his feat against Portugal in Saint-Etienne on the opening weekend by scoring two tries from full-back and the flanker Allister Hogg went one better, with a hat-trick.

A bonus-point victory with the All Blacks to come here next Sunday was heartening, especially for Scotland's captain, Jason White, whose knee injury here against Romania last autumn had once threatened to put his World Cup in doubt. Chris Paterson's six conversions of his side's six tries made it an almost perfect night for Scotland.

READ MORE

The build-up to the match was, as ever, dominated by the debate over who should play outhalf for Scotland. Hadden opted for the more conservative Dan Parks, but the Australian-born player showed his cavalier side with an up-and-under with barely a minute gone and Paterson, the man many think should be wearing the number 10 shirt, beat the Romania fullback Iulian Dumitras to touch down the first try, after which the only thing in doubt was the final scoreline.

SCOTLAND:R Lamont; S Lamont, Webster, Dewey, Paterson; Parks, Blair; Kerr, Ford, E Murray; Hines, Hamilton; White, Hogg, Taylor. Replacements: Smith for Kerr, MacLeod for Hines (both 52 mins); Southwell for Dewey, Cusiter for Blair, Lawson for Ford (all 59 minutes); Brown for Hogg (65 mins); Walker for Parks (68 mins).

ROMANIA:Dumitras; Fercu, Gal, Gontineac, Brezoianu; Dimofte, Sirbu; Toderasc, Tincu, B Balan; Socol, Petre; Corodeanu, Manta, Tonita. Replacements: Mavrodin for Tincu (41 mins); Tofan for Dimofte (46 mins); Ratiu for Corodeanu (61 mins); Calafeteanu for Sirbu (45 mins); Tudori for Manta (53 mins); Florea for B Balan (69 mins), Vlaicu for Gontineac (73 mins).

Referee:Nigel Owens (WRFU).