Cotter praised Scotland's debutants © Getty Images

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Vern Cotter was pleased with his new charges' efforts as he took the hotseat for his first match as Scotland head coach.

The tourists secured a 24-6 win over the USA in the challenging conditions of Houston and, while he admitted there are areas that need improvement, Cotter was satisfied with their work.

"The primary satisfaction is that we scored tries and we didn't concede a try," said Cotter. "That's a good start because the States didn't give up. They threw everything at us and made ground. They're good ball carriers, they're a good team.

"Obviously I'm happy because we got the win. I thought the players, despite the difficult conditions, played well. With certain things, as all coaches will say, we have to do better next week and we're working on those.

"I'm really pleased with the opportunities created and I'm happy that we managed to get over the line. I thought we could've got over and scored another couple. We're looking at that but the opportunities were created and that means that we had initiative. Our intention was to get over the line, score points and that's very good."

Cotter was particularly impressed with the performances of youngsters such as Blair Cowan, Gordon Reid and Finn Russell, who made their Scotland debuts in the starting XV.

"The guys that came in, I thought they all played well. Gordon Reid at the first ruck took the ball and ran through the middle of it. Obviously he wants to be part of the game and that's really important.

"Blair Cowan had an outstanding game at openside, he kept pressure on the whole time. Their play-makers never really had an easy time. Finn Russell, you'd think he's played 20 or 30 games already. He was composed, he kicked well out of his hand. He directed play well and defended."