SCOTLAND crashed to their second defeat in three tour games as a last-minute try by number eight Deon Muir gave New Zealand first division side Waikato a 39-35 win in Hamilton yesterday.
Matthew Cooper scored 19 points - a try, four conversions and two penalties - to inspire the home side against a Scottish team that led 15-0 within a quarter of the game, was still ahead 22-12 at the break but then conceded two converted tries in the last six minutes.
While Waikato improved as the game progressed, the Scots lost concentration. It may have been the tourists' best performance of the tour but coach Richie Dixon bemoaned his team's failure to bury Waikato before halftime.
At times the backs, led by Gregor Townsend, produced scintillating play in conditions tailor-made for open rugby. All four Scottish tries went to their backs.
The pack also showed more urgency and aggression but captain Rob Wainwright said: "You have to win to get credibility. We showed we can play a lot of good rugby, but we also showed we're not prepared to knuckle down and grind a team down."
