Scotland ‘A’ 27 Uruguay 3

James Eddie and Ruaridh Jackson

Eight Glasgow Warriors players - including new signings Chris Cusiter and Rob Dewey - helped Scotland ‘A’ to their second win of the 2009 IRB Nations Cup win over Uruguay at the Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest, Romania with on-field temperatures exceeding 36 degrees.

Wing Simon Webster contributed two tries either side of the half-time break while stand-off David Blair scored 12 points from two penalties and three conversions.

Former Glasgow hooker Scott Lawson drove over the whitewash from close range to ensure Scotland ‘A’ chalked up a healthy lead in scorching-hot conditions.

Afterwards, Robinson congratulated his players on their durability, although he stressed there was a lot of work to do before the meeting with the France ‘A’ at the weekend.

Robinson said: “The guys coped really well in incredibly intense heat.

“We realise the performance was a level below the display we produced against Russia, so we’ll be working hard to improve ahead of the final match against France ‘A’.”

Uruguay missed five penalties, but provided tough opposition for the Scots; defending with resolute spirit and constantly competing at the breakdown.

As a result, Scotland ‘A’ never completely seized control of the game and enterprising passages of play were disrupted by uncharacteristic errors.

Nevertheless, an incisive backs move carved open the Uruguay defence mid-way through the first half with Joe Ansbro and Jim Thompson combining to enable Webster to breeze through to score.

Blair’s goalkicking display was immaculate in difficult conditions and kept the scoreboard ticking over with Scotland ‘A’ entering the interval with a 10-point advantage.

At half-time, flanker Alan MacDonald and versatile back Rob Dewey, who will join the Warriors this summer, were introduced and another Blair penalty extended the Scots’ advantage.

Debutant John Houston then almost scored, but was bundled into the touch just short of the try line and the Edinburgh back says the match will always stick in his mind.

Houston said: “I was absolutely delighted to make my debut for Scotland ‘A’, it’s something I’ve wanted to achieve for a long time.

“The Uruguay game will always be memorable as well for another reason; because it was the hottest conditions I’ve ever experienced on a rugby pitch.

“When it gets that hot, it can sometimes affect a player’s concentration levels, but I thought we coped better as the game went on.

“We know we can improve on our performance and everyone will be aiming to do that against France at the weekend.”

Scotland ‘A’ then continued to score when Blair’s dummy opened up the South Americans’ defence enabling Webster to dot down underneath the posts.

Uruguay responded by marginally reducing the deficit with a long-range drop goal from their stand-off Jeronimo Etcheverry to take the score to 20-3.

Hooker Lawson then continued his prolific tries-to-games ratio in Bucharest by scoring a similar try to the two he plundered against Russia from close range.

Two players experienced knocks – Kelly Brown (calf) and Joe Ansbro (hip), but both are expected to be fit for the final game against France ‘A’ on Sunday (21 June, kick off 6pm BST)

Dr Alastair Nicol said: “None of our players was forced to go off with heat-related illnesses and we coped well with the hydration issues in the heat.

“In fact, we probably coped better than Uruguay in that respect.”

Scotland ‘A’: Jim Thompson (Edinburgh); John Houston (Edinburgh), Joe Ansbro (Northampton Saints), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Simon Webster (Edinburgh), David Blair (Edinburgh), Rory Lawson (captain, Gloucester); Stuart Corsar (Doncaster), Andrew Kelly (Edinburgh), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), James Eddie (Glasgow Warriors),, Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Calum Forrester (Glasgow Warriors), Roddy Grant (Edinburgh), Kelly Brown (Glasgow Warriors)
Replacements: Scott Lawson (Gloucester), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Craig Hamilton (Edinburgh), Alan MacDonald (Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Perpignan), Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), Rob Dewey (Ulster).

Uruguay: Nicolas Morales; Tomas Jolivet, Joaquin Pastore (captain), Alejandro Silveira, Leandro Leivas, Jeronimo Etcheverry, Juan Campomar ; Rodrigo Sanchez, Martin Espiga, Mario Sagario, Juan Miguel Alvarez Zerbino, Ignacio Conti, Rafael Alvarez, Gonzalo Campomar, Carlos Protasi

Referee: JP Doyle (England)