Scotland's World Cup preparations suffered a significant setback as they were comprehensively defeated 27-3 by South Africa in their final warm-up at Murrayfield.
Chris Paterson kicked the home side into an early lead but the Springboks replied with three first-half tries from Bryan Habana, Jaque Fourie and Fourie du Preez to effectively end the game as a contest. Frank Hadden's side desperately tried to find a way back into the match but struggled to make any holes in the Springboks' watertight defence. Only the talented Rory Lamont offered a genuine threat to the visitors while the forwards – impressive in recent games – were brought down to earth by the southern hemisphere giants. In contrast, England's World Cup pool opponents, despite missing captain John Smit who has a hamstring injury, demonstrated why they are second favourites for next month's tournament.
Their gameplan was limited, relying on their famously powerful pack, but they also displayed a clinical efficiency when presented with an opening. The terrific Habana was a threat every time he touched the ball.
