Scotland v New Zealand                      Player Rating

15. Chris Paterson: Trademark darting runs often broke the gain line however; some defensive mistakes led to New Zealand tries. 6

14. Thom Evans: Glasgow winger looked dangerous with ball in hand and battled hard to make his mark on the game but didn’t threaten the visiting defence. 6

13. Ben Cairns: Defended well and held his own against his man-of-the-match opposite number. Showed signs of class throughout. 6

12. Nick de Luca: Moment of madness in the opening minutes saw him in the sin-bin which placed Scotland under increased pressure early on. Made some big hits on his return but some poor defending led to Kiwi points on the board. 5

11. Sean Lamont: Threatened New Zealand defence on numerous occasions and could have crossed the line late in the first half. Hobbled off early in the second half with a hamstring injury. 7

10. Phil Godman: Provided flashes of flair but failed to deal with a bouncing ball, which lead to a simple Kiwi try. 6

9. Mike Blair: Strong performance throughout, fumbled a ball on the try-line but redeemed himself with darting runs which lead to most of Scotland’s 9 line-breaks. 8

1. Alan Jacobsen: Played a significant role in a tireless Scottish front-row. Did his job before limping from the field with an injury. 5
 
2. Ross Ford: Performed the simple things accurately in the scrum and lineout. One darting run in the first half saw him break the New Zealand line. 6

3. Euan Murray: Scrum appeared to be solid all afternoon. Overcame his opposite number in all aspects of the game. A key player in a positive Scottish front-row. 7

4. Nathan Hines: Worked hard at the set piece but failed to make an impact in the loose. 5

5. Jim Hamilton: Formed a steady partnership with Hines and grafted throughout. Lack of sharpness was exploited by the Kiwi attack. 5

6. Jason White: Gave it his all but failed to make his mark on the encounter with any trademark hits. Questions could also be asked of his match-fitness. 6

7. John Barclay: Stood-out in the Scotland back row. Made an impact as ever at the breakdown and looked composed with ball in hand. 7

8. Ally Hogg: Late call-up for the Injured Simon Taylor, Hogg stepped up the mark, showed signs of creativity and came close to scoring. 6

Replacements;

Dougie Hall: Came on with five minutes to play, not enough time to make an impact.

Ali Dickinson: Replaced Murray in his unfavorable tighthead position.  Struggled to make his mark.

Matt Mustchin: Big physical presence motivated the pack in the final 20 minutes.

Rory Lawson: Made one try-saving tackle after his late introduction to the game

Dan Parks: Came on too late to influence the game. Continued what Godman started.

Hugo Southwell: Arrived at the departure of Lamont. Did all that was expected of him in a safe performance at full-back.