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'How did that happen?' - Scotland in disbelief after USA loss
It’s fair to say that Stuart Hogg’s first Test match as captain of Scotland didn’t go to plan.
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Hogg’s side were upset 30-29 by the United States in Houston, as the Americans claimed their first modern victory over a Tier One side.
The United States erased a 24-13 halftime deficit to win the match at home.
“Everyone is the exact same, bitterly disappointed because of the defeat,” Hogg said after the match. “We worked incredibly hard during the week to get ourselves into good places but unfortunately came up short.”
“A lot of mistakes by us allowed the Americans to get into the game. For us, it’s really frustrating because the things we talked about at half-time to do well, we did the complete opposite of in the second half.
“It is one thing making a mistake, it is another making two with the snowball effect that comes after that.
“The majority of their points came from our errors. It is all about momentum shifts and taking opportunities and, credit to America, they did exactly that.”
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“It was a tough one to take,” the 25-year-old said. “All credit to America, though, they took their opportunities when they were there.”
“For us we’ve got to learn, and learn quick. We weren’t good enough from the get-go. We scored a nice try early on, but after that we shut off and went to sleep.
Scotland centre Nick Grigg joined Hogg in disbelief after the final whistle.
“It was one of those games you think, ‘How did that happen?’,” Grigg said. “There is not much we can do now. We just have to look forward to Argentina.”
United States head coach Gary Gold praised his side following the victory over Scotland, a victory that ranks as one of the greatest in the country’s rugby history.
“It is unbelievably satisfying to beat such a top class Tier One side like Scotland,” said Gold. “It was obviously very pleasing to play like that and get the victory.”
“That is why we play the game. I am just very proud of the guys.”
“It was a fantastic moment for the team and everybody associated with rugby in the USA.”
The defeated Scots will next head to Uruguay where they will take on Argentina, who will also be looking to regain form after a 2-0 series defeat against Wales.
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