Monday 30 June 2014 14:41, UK
Vern Cotter does not regret playing a one-off Test match against a nation with the fire-power of South Africa after Scotland lost 55-6 in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
The match followed three weeks on the road for Scotland with international fixtures in North America and Argentina, before they switched continents by flying more than four thousand miles across the South Atlantic Ocean to reach Africa.
The Scotland coach used 42 players over the four games and, against the Springboks, selected a number of younger squad members.
Cotter said: "All in all, we got a good look at ourselves in the last game but we will put that in context of availability, the team, the end of tour and the end of the season.
"It was a mixture of having young players and it coming at the end of the season – as well as the travel.
"Coming to South Africa, there was jetlag the first two or three days. I know from my own Super Rugby experience that it is very difficult to perform on your first week after travelling. I thought the guys put up a brave effort.
"The tour, in all, has given me the opportunity to see a number of players, assess the depth, get a good impression of what is available and what needs to be developed to become competitive – and we got three wins out of it as well.”
