Scotland v Argentina, Murrayfield, November 28
Scotland eye clean sweep
Scrum.com
November 27, 2009
Scotland's Phil Godman celebrates kicking a penalty, Scotland v Australia, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland, November 21, 2009
Can Scotland's Phil Godman inspire his side to another famous Murrayfield success? © Getty Images
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Teams: Argentina | Scotland

Few would have predicted that Scotland would be heading in to their final November Test looking for a clean sweep - but they are.

Andy Robinson's first Tests in charge have produced a workmanlike win over Fiji and a tremendous backs-to-the-wall effort against the Wallabies, building confidence in a Scotland setup that hit rock bottom following the Six Nations.

Robinson's familiarity with his player pool has bred an understanding among the squad, with his decision to supervise Scotland 'A' at the Nations Cup over the summer augmenting his stay as head coach at Edinburgh. Players to profit include Chris Cusiter, installed as co-captain, fly-half Phil Godman and No.8 Johnnie Beattie, all of whom have been called in from the cold.

Their game is at the moment confined to the basics, but they desperately needed a platform before their autumn series began and now they can look to address their poor record against the Pumas after ending a 27-year hoodoo against the Wallabies. They have won only twice against their weekend opponents, the last victory coming on tour in 2008.

Led by the excellent Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Argentina will want to end their tour on a high by notching their first victory. A development tour in all but name, they have blooded a number of youngsters in the high-pressure atmospheres of Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium and despite negative results the performances of the likes of Martin Rodriguez, Santiago Fernandez and Alfredo Lalanne will have been welcome plusses. Their defence against both England and Wales has been strong, with a lack of accuracy against Wales costing them dear as Shane Williams punished their mistakes with a brace of tries, and Scotland will need to find an attacking spark from somewhere.

While their bravery against Australia was plain for all to see, a depth of attacking options was not. Robinson has recalled Thom Evans to the wing after a spell in the Scotland 'A' setup and the Glasgow man will be desperate to justify the hype that his Six Nations performances generated. Ben Cairns, named at outside-centre, too has some unfinished business after being banished from the squad following the 2009 Six Nations opener against Wales.

If their pack can stand up to the burly Pumas, as they did on tour last year, than Scotland may well get the chance to spread the ball wide. The tourists have shown limited ambition in attack and it will fall to the Scots to pick up the tempo, with men like Cusiter, Godman and Evans crucial to setting down a marker early on.

Evans has fond memories of a debut against the Pumas, despite the intimidating atmosphere at the Gigante de Arroyito Stadium in Rosario, and is expecting to be battered and bruised following a meeting with a side that has never been shy of a bit of rough and tumble.

"It was almost like one of those Gladiators' arenas," he said. "There was barbed wire round the pitch and the crowd were shaking against the fence. It was something I had never experienced before. It was quite daunting in the warm-up walking around and them being so close to the pitch.

"What I do remember from that game is that it was immensely physical. I remember feeling very sore the day after and I think it was a very good way to start my career. I'm expecting them to be just as physical this time; I'm ready for it and feel I've matured as a player a lot.

""If we don't get a good platform then we won't get any go forward whatsoever. We've been working really hard on that and nailing that down so we can play a little bit more out wide."

Scotland: R Lamont (Toulon); S Lamont (Scarlets), A Grove (Worcester), B Cairns (Edinburgh), T Evans (Glasgow); P Godman (Edinburgh), C Cusiter (Glasgow, capt); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), M Low (Glasgow), N Hines (Leinster), A Kellock (Glasgow), A Strokosch (Gloucester), A MacDonald (Edinburgh), J Beattie (Glasgow)

Replacements: D Hall (Glasgow), K Traynor (Edinburgh), J White (Clermont Auvergne), R Vernon (Glasgow), R Lawson (Gloucester), C Paterson (Edinburgh), N De Luca (Edinburgh)

Argentine: Horacio Agulla (Brive); Lucas Borges (Albi), Gonzalo Tiesi (Harlequins), Martin Rodriguez (Atletico de Rosario), Federico Martin Aramburu (Dax); Santiago Fernandez (Hindu Club), Alfredo Lalanne (London Irish); Marcos Ayerza (Leicester), Alberto Vernet Basualdo (Toulouse), Martin Scelzo (Clermont Auvergne), Manuel Carizza (Biarritz), Patricio Albacete (Toulouse), Alejandro Campos (Montauban), Alejandro Abadie (Rovigo), Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Toulon, capt)

Replacements: Agustin Creevy (San Luis), Rodrigo Roncero (Stade Francais), Estaban Lozada (Toulon), Tomas Leonardi (SIC), Agustin Figuerola (CASI), Benjamin Urdapilleta (CUBA), Horacio San Martin (Tala)

Referee: Alan Lewis (Ire)

Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ire), Stuart Terheege (Eng)
Television Match Official: Tim Hayes (Wal)

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