 Scotland were far too strong for Canada in Aberdeen |
Scotland head coach Frank Hadden was delighted with the strength of his side as they swept aside Canada 41-0 in the final autumn Test at Pittodrie. "It was an opportunity for the players to vent some of the frustration of the past two weeks," said Hadden. "Ultimately we were too physical for the Canadians and with the ball that we got we were efficient and deserved to get the scoreboard ticking over. "It was good to win, put away a few tries and play with a bit of freedom." Nikki Walker crossed twice and Ben Cairns, John Barclay, Alasdair Strokosch and Rory Lamont added further tries as Scotland ended their November series in style. It was a morale-boosting victory for Hadden after a heavy defeat to New Zealand's second string and the failure to convert a 10-0 half-time lead into a win against South Africa. "There's no doubt there was a time when that could have been a very awkward encounter for us," added Hadden. "The combination of the narrow pitch and the weather conditions which made it very difficult to handle the ball, and it might have been a very difficult day for us had it not been for the platform we created in the scrummage and in the contact area.  | Scotland certainly kept the pressure on us all day and deserved their win Kieran Crowley, Canada Coach |
"I think we've made some progress in these November Tests. It would have been easier for people to understand that we had made progress had we beaten South Africa but I certainly feel a lot happier in certain areas of the game. "That's certainly true of the competition for places in so many positions and I think we were especially physical in all three weeks. People are going to find a different Scotland team these days." Canada coach Kieran Crowley agreed that the physical nature of the contest had taken its toll on his players. As they had been in their matches against Ireland and Wales in the previous two weeks, Canada were outmuscled up front. The former All Black said: "It was disappointing for us. We gave Scotland too much time to attack and we were having to scramble all the time in defence. "A couple of things didn't go our way and we were made to pay. Scotland certainly kept the pressure on us all day and deserved their win. "Last week we were outweighed a stone a man against Wales and it must have been the same today. That takes its toll eventually. "Our guys showed lots of heart but if you get a big man on a small man and they have the same skill level the big man is always going to win."
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