Scotland zero in on decider against Pumas
SCOTLAND (15) vs GEORGIA (6)
SCOTLAND coach Andy Robinson toasted his team’s battling qualities after a hard-fought victory over Georgia kept them on course to maintain their record of reaching the knockout stages of every World Cup.
Fly-half Dan Parks kicked all the points, with four penalties and a drop goal, as Scotland’s front-five out-muscled the notoriously grizzled Georgian pack to make it two wins from two in Pool B.
It puts them on nine points, following the defeat of Romania in their opening match, and leaves their next fixture, against Argentina a week on Sunday, looking increasingly like a second-place play-off.
“Some days you’ve got to win ugly. The key for us was to win the game. I was delighted with the way the players played, right across the board,” said Robinson.
“I set the target that when we left Invercargill [after the first two games] we wanted nine points. We’ve achieved that and the guys stuck to a very good plan today. I thought the front five were outstanding.”
Back-row Kelly Brown was the pick of an outstanding Scottish pack, although there was little in the way of attacking threat, leaving Robinson’s men to rely on the boot of Parks. Georgia were first on the scoreboard with the first of two Merab Kvirikashvili penalties but Parks replied with two of his own and a drop goal, plus a second-half penalty.