Johnnie Beattie: ‘We got one victory in the end but it was more important to see how those guys got on’
Scotland forward Johnnie Beattie insists there were plenty of positives to take from their summer tour of South Africa.
Scott Johnson’s men – who blooded 10 new players during ther tour – suffered their first ever defeat to Samoa in the Quad Series opener before going down 30-17 to the hosts.
A complete whitewash was only avoided as Alasdair Strokosch’s last-gasp try helped secure a 30-29 win over Italy on Saturday.
Beattie said: “The main thing was to try and win the three games we had but we were also there to broaden our base of players and introduce some young kids into the squad. Individually, it was important to see how those boys got on.
“As Johnno said we were happier with our performance against South Africa but lost the game. We won against Italy but were disappointed with our performance.
“We got one victory in the end but it was more important to see how those guys got on. That was where the value of the tour was.”
Beattie believes the new faces in the squad are welcome additions with Test dates against Japan, South Africa and Australia to come in November.
“I thought the boys who got their chance did fantastic,” he added. “The main positive for the tour for me was getting to know different people on a personal level, but also seeing how they got on in a Test environment.
“It gives Johnno and the coaching team lots of different options looking ahead to the World Cup. We were tested by injuries quite severely but the boys who did get their chance stuck their hands up well.
“There are big opportunities to come back and beat some big nations in theAutumn internationals. But it will be more difficult too as there is more competition in a few different position and it will be harder to get in the side.”
Scotland"s Johnnie Beattie takes positives from South Africa tour
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