NSW Waratahs were comfortable winners in Sydney

Edinburgh prop Joel Brannigan and Borders centre Stephen Cranston were Scotland's try-scorers.

Scott Staniforth (2), Elia Tuqiri, Peter Hewat and Tim Clark all crossed the line for the home side.

Scotland coach Matt Williams must now cut 10 players from the 40-man touring party ahead of the two forthcoming Tests against Australia.

After suffering a 41-5 thumping from Queensland 10 days ago, the midweek side recovered to secure a comfortable victory over NSW Country and entered the game against the Waratahs in confident mood.

But the missed tackles that had proved so costly against the Reds at Ballymore returned.

Reaction from Matt Williams

The Waratahs were shorn of their international stars, with 10 players lost to Australia's Test team and three with Super 12 experience in the Under-21 World Cup squad.

But they took the lead when Scotland stand-off Gordon Ross, playing for a start against Australia, failed to smother a kick, allowing Staniforth to scoop up the loose ball from the ensuing ruck and touch down.

Ross made amends by landing a 15th-minute penalty and then converting Brannigan's try to put Scotland 10-5 in front.

Scotland's Matt Dey featured as a second half replacement

Craig Hamilton claimed a towering catch in the lineout five metres out, Scotland kept it tight and Brannigan scored.

The Waratahs regained the advantage three minutes before the interval when Tuqiri crashed over and fly-half Donnelly, who had earlier missed a simple penalty, landed the conversion.

Milton Thaiday then sent Hewat clear for the Waratahs' third try, which was again converted by Donnelly.

The home side were gifted their next score when Staniforth ran through the flimsy challenge of scrum-half Mike Blair for his second try.

Donnelly's conversion made it 26-10 for the Waratahs, but Scotland hit back immediately through Cranston after Ross's floated ball found the overlap.

Scotland began to force things, but Matt Dey's attempted offload was picked off by Waratahs scrum-half Clark, who ran unchallenged from inside his own half to touch down.

NSW Waratahs: Hewat, E. Tuqiri, Thaiday, Grey, Staniforth, Donnelly, Clark, Hoiles, McGann, Kaprowicz, Caldwell, Campbell, Broughton-Rouse, Freier, Hardy.
Replacements: Edmonds, Walsh, Wilson, Sproats, O'Young, Berne, Hilgendorf.

Scotland: G Morton, S Danielli, M Di Rollo, G Morrison, S Cranston, G Ross, M Blair, C Smith, R Russell, J Brannigan, I Fullarton, C Hamilton, S McLeod, S Gray, J Petrie (cpt)
Replacements: S Scott, C Noon, A Kellock, A Hall, G Beveridge, R Lawson, M Dey.