Carreras leads record Pumas comeback as Scotland capitulate

Nothing short of a disaster for Scotland, but a magnificent comeback by Argentina.

- Luke McLaughlin

The hosts were 21-0 up and cruising in the second half when a loose Finn Russell pass was seized on by opponents who had been poor until that point.

Blair Kinghorn was soon in the sin-bin and a sensational flurry of five Argentina tries in the final 24 minutes sealed Scotland’s fate. It was all orchestrated in stunning fashion by Santi Carreras of Bath, one of six replacements who appeared together after halftime.

Disappointment generated by inaccuracy and uncertainty is a familiar refrain for home fans but this, a record comeback for Argentina in Test rugby, was far more painful than most.

The talent of Scotland’s fly-half, Russell, had terrorised Argentina in a collectively dominant first half. A swivel of the hips or a dart of the eyes had carved the Pumas open but, like it or not, he will be held responsible for this collapse after an extravagant attempted pass, soon after halftime, led to a profound shift.

"It’s such a huge momentum swing," Gregor Townsend, Scotland’s head coach, said of the Russell error that sparked a calamity. "Sometimes you make an error and nothing happens ... But for it to flip the field and us to lose a yellow card, it was obviously very costly. That’s down to the actions of others as well, and very good play by Argentina."