A makeshift Scottish side secured a belated second win on their New Zealand tour today with a controlled and committed display in testing conditions in Napier.
Tries from Roland Reid and Shaun Longstaff, plus 11 points from the boot of replacement Duncan Hodge, were enough to subdue Hawke's Bay in horrendous weather at McLean Park. After a scoreless opening quarter in which the Scots had dominated play without pressing home their advantage, Reid's score and a Graham Shiel penalty gave the tourists an 8-0 interval advantage.
Hawke's Bay, known as the Magpies, never allowed Scotland to totally feel comfortable, but three Hodge penalties and Longstaff's clincher will send them to Auckland tomorrow in better heart as the squad prepare to face the All Blacks in Saturday's second Test. After a spate of injury setbacks in recent days, they were forced into yet another reshuffle this morning, when Alan Bulloch failed a late fitness test on a thigh strain and Gordon Simpson was withdrawn from the bench with flu. Longstaff, not even in the original 22, found himself drafted onto the left wing, with Craig Joiner switching to centre in place of Bulloch and Chris Paterson coming onto the bench.
