| |
|
| ||||||||||||||||
 Amateur rugby Two late tries decide minnows battle
Posted: Saturday October 02, 1999 04:04 PM
GALASHIELS, Scotland (CNN/SI) -- Uruguay, the Cinderella of the World Cup ball danced to a 27-15 win over fellow tournament rookie Spain before a small but appreciative crowd. The match was played in the heart of Scottish Border Country at Netherdale, the smallest stadium to be used in the World Cup -- the open-ended stadium a quaint reminder of rugby's origins and a far cry from the glamour of Friday's opening ceremony in Cardiff. Rugby is an amateur sport in both countries. Substitute Juan Menchaca intercepted a pass and sprinted most of the field to score the clincher Saturday as Uruguay defeated Spain 27-15 in the battle of the Rugby World Cup minnows. But with both countries making their World Cup debuts and roared on by their small but vociferous traveling contingents, it felt like their own mini cup final. Uruguay coach Daniel Herrera said the win -- and just being at the World Cup -- felt "like a miracle" given the country's pool of less than 1,000 adult players. "It's like being World Champions," he said of the result. "We've been working for six years toward this," he said. "We're happy to have been able to translate all the efforts we made into such a good result." For both sides, it was the only remote chance of a win at the World Cup, coming before clashes with Scotland and South Africa. Herrera smiled when asked if this would make his players more confident about facing South Africa. "We know what's coming next," he said. "But for the time being we just want to enjoy this feeling." Spain was first off the mark with a penalty by Andrei Kovalenco, the Ukrainian-born flyhalf, after eight minutes. Uruguay leveled after 15 minutes with a penalty from Diego Aguirre following a strong run by the South American backs. Uruguay grabbed the halftime lead after skipper Diego Ormaechea, the tournament's oldest player at 40, barged over from the back of a five-yard scrum in the 23rd minute and Federico Sciarra converted. It was Ormaechea's ninth try in 62 tests and Uruguay's first in the World Cup. Kovalenco then converted again to make the score 10-6 at the break. Spain, their backs seeing more of the ball, rallied to take a 12-10 lead on two kicks from the pivot before Uruguay struck back with a penalty try to go ahead 17-10. After a series of scrum infringements on their own line, Spain conceded the penalty try under the posts, which Aguirre converted. But Kovalenco, who tallied 15 points in all, reduced the margin to two points with another penalty goal soon after to set up a thriller. Uruguay's fullback Alfonso Cardoso scored in the 77th minute to give the South Americans a seven-point buffer when he received a cut-out pass on the left flank and rounded his opponent before outpacing the cover defense and diving across in the corner to make the score 22-15. In injury time, substitute Menchaca then went even better, running at least 70 meters to score in the right-hand corner. Spain's coach Alfonso Feijoo said Uruguay's forwards, strong throughout, were the difference. But team manager Alfonso Mandado said the result was "secondary" and that Spain could take heart from having reached the tournament. "From now on, there will be a new era of rugby in Spain," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
