Captain Jon Petrie welcomed the impact the result could have for Scottish rugby. "We are not going through a transition phase any more. You have to start winning and tonight we've taken the first step in that direction. It's great to see smiles back on the faces of the players and on the faces of the people who support us."
The first score came after a nervy opening 10 minutes from both sides as Glasgow Rugby centre Andrew Henderson powered his way through the Barbarians' prop Darren Morris having tidied up a sticky situation on the visitors' 22 metre line. The centre broke free and charged in unopposed under the posts allowing fullback Chris Paterson to convert.
At the other end of the park the Baa-Baas adopted the same tactics, slotting the ball into the corner following a Scottish infringement 20 minutes in. From the lineout Italian prop Andrea Lo Cicero gathered the ball and, with the assistance of his pack, marched with his head down towards the Scots' line. Referee Nigel Owens' view was obstructed by a pile of bodies but video ref Carlo Damasco confirmed the ball had been touched down. Stand-off and captain David Humphreys of Ireland levelled the score with the conversion.
On the 40 minute mark Paterson gave his side the lead as the Barbarians were penalised for coming into the side of a Scotland ruck. The fullback slotted the penalty goal from just to the right of the posts for a 10-7 lead. A flurry of action in the half's remaining minutes produced no points but pleased the near capacity crowd at the home of Aberdeen FC.
Following the turn-around, scrum-half Blair was seen to cover a huge amount of ground, putting in several key tackles across the park. Seven minutes into the half former Scotland winger Kenny Logan appeared, for his final match before retiring this summer.
Just after an hour Blair's brilliance shone through again, lifting the enthralled crowd to their feet as he weaved past three Barbarians before drawing Dempsey and offloading to replacement hooker Hall who strolled in to finish a fantastic try made by the scrum-half. Paterson converted from out wide for a 17-7 lead after 63 minutes.
That lead was increased once again as replacement flanker Andrew Wilson, also making his debut, plucked the ball out of the air from a lineout on the Barbarians' 22. The pack reformed around him and the ball was escorted toward the line. The visitors reacted but, spotting the overlap, replacement stand-off Dan Parks diverted play down the blindside to put winger Sean Lamont in with an overlap. Paterson was again accurate from out wide for a 24-7 lead after 69 minutes.
With the stadium at fever pitch Scotland made it 31-7 as Allan Jacobsen, who had been substituted earlier in the match but then returned to the field in place of the injured Bruce Douglas, joined the pack following a Scotland lineout and marched the ball over the line. Paterson continued to shine with the boot and converted from out wide.
In a final flurry, once again full of individual skill, Scotland landed their fifth try as replacement lock Craig Hamilton gathered the loose ball inside his countrymen's half. He fed Sean Lamont who glided up field, avoiding the scattered Barbarians, before throwing a wide pass to replacement fullback Hugo Southwell. The Edinburgh man outpaced everyone and dived in at the corner where he was greeted by his ecstatic team mates. Paterson kept his 100% kicking tally putting the final conversion over for six from six attempts (one penalty and five conversions).
63x46.png){kind=logo}