Hadden 'delighted' with Pumas win

Scotland coach Frank Hadden praised his young squad after they secured an impressive 26-14 victory over Argentina.

Scotland coach Frank Hadden praised his young squad after they secured an impressive 26-14 victory over Argentina.

After losing the first Test 16-10 in Rosario, Scotland squared the series as Chris Paterson, who was making a record 88th appearance for the national team, led his side to their first win over Argentina for 18 years and their first on their opponent's turf.

Hadden was pleased with the way Scotland put behind the disappointment of last week's defeat behind them to bounce back in emphatic fashion.

"We are delighted," he said. "After the frustration of last week it is testament to the confidence and self-belief in the whole squad.

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"I was pleased with the way we performed in some aspects last week, but we just didn't get the win.

"We had the youngest squad in the World Cup, we were the youngest in the Six Nations and we have an even younger squad for this tour."

Scotland had a 16-0 lead at the break after a Ross Ford try and the always impressive kicking of Paterson before Graeme Morrison added another try in the second half.

The Pumas pressed to get back into the game and added two scores of their own before a try in the last minute denied the Scots a 15-point margin of victory that would maintain their second seed status for the next World Cup draw.

"It is important not to underestimate the size of the achievement," added Hadden. "We were the only northern hemisphere (nation) winning a Test match against a southern hemisphere (nation) today and that was against the third best rugby country in the world.

"The main reason for the win was the three weeks of preparation, the sort of preparation that we didn't have for the Six Nations. That allowed us to get a certain level of organisation, especially defensively."

"Although we were here to win, we still have got to do defence development and also give opportunities for certain players to show what they are capable of doing at this level."

Captain Mike Blair, who was making his 50th appearance, admitted the result capped a a memorable day for him.

"We were more intense and more precise and we played a quicker ball in the dangerous areas," he said.

"It is a very proud day for me because it is my 50th test. It wouldn't mean anything if we didn't win the game but we did."