Encouragement taken by Brown after Scotland fightback

Scotland were staring at a second heavy defeat in the EMC Test series after falling 21-3 behind in the 46th minute at Murrayfield following a second try for Adrian Strauss.

But replacement scrum-half Henry Pyrgos crossed in the 51st minute following a well-worked line-out in what was then only the second attack of note Scotland had produced – the first had also come from a penalty kick into touch.

The try prompted a complete transformation in the momentum of the game with Scotland putting the tourists under relentless pressure for the remaining half-hour.

But some desperate defending, crucial decisions from Irish referee George Clancy and poor decision-making meant the score stayed at 21-10.

“The last 30 minutes it was either a case of lie down and die or stand up and fight, and I thought we stood up and fought,” said Brown.

“As a captain I want a side that is going to stand up and fight but next week we need to do that from the first whistle.

“We need to learn our lessons and next week it’s about really getting fired into Tonga.”

Vincent Clerc scored two tries and Frederic Michalak booted 24 points as France followed up their rout of Australia with a 39-22 victory over Argentina in Lille.

Argentina had started well and led 13-3 after 17 minutes, but Clerc’s first try sparked a run of 21 unanswered points for France that saw the home side establish a 24-13 half-time advantage.

The Pumas continued to battle hard in the second half and reduced the gap between the two sides to eight points on a couple of occasions, but they could not get any closer and Michalak’s kicking ensured France would come out on top.

Ireland captain Jamie Heaslip expressed his pride at the willingness of his young team-mates to put their bodies on the line to keep Fiji scoreless in a 53-0 win on Saturday.

The Leinster forward, leading his country for the second time, feels the commitment shown by newcomers such as Craig Gilroy and Iain Henderson was a key element in the 53-0 win at Thomond Park in Limerick.

“I was quite proud of the performance of the squad,” said Heaslip. “It was a privilege to lead out a side that was full of such an enthusiastic bunch of guys.”