Scotland 24-33 Argentina: ‘Vulnerable’ hosts ‘fell asleep at the wheel’

Scotland have won just four of 10 Test matches this year and were left with an all-too-familiar feeling at full-time.

Tuipulotu was asked if criticism from the stands was justified after another defeat and said: “I think so, yeah.

“Gregor has spoken in the changing room about back-to-back home sell-outs, not every stadium does that.

“We watched some rugby yesterday and there were some empty seats in the stadium, but not in our stadium and there’s a little bit of guilt there because people pay good money to come watch us.”

It was the nature of Scotland’s collapse that was so alarming.

From a position of dominance to being carved open almost at will, with no way of stopping the tide.

Scotland shipped penalty after penalty during the Argentine onslaught as players tired and Santiago Carreras took the game by the scruff of its neck.

Replacements Tom Jordan and George Horne were left on the Scotland bench as they were swamped by wave after wave of blue-and-white attack.

“Decisions and discipline will be the two areas we look most closely on,” Townsend said.

“We have to be better in our discipline. If you give a team with momentum penalty after penalty, it makes it easier for them.

“We obviously didn’t handle that momentum change when we went 21-0 up and had an opportunity to go 28-0 up. It flipped on that moment.

“Credit to Argentina, they put us under pressure and deserved to win in that final quarter.”

Scotland came close against New Zealand last weekend, coming from 17-0 down to level before conceding at the death, but both captain and coach agreed this result was the bigger disappointment.

“I don’t think I could be as disappointed as I was last week, but I think this is more disappointing,” Tuipulotu said.

“I said to the boys, ‘We are going to have to take a really hard look at ourselves’.

“The next couple of days are going to hurt and it starts with me, I’m the captain of the squad and I take responsibility as well.”