The visitors battled to stay on equal terms, with Derrick Lee claiming two tries, but the match just ran away from them in the final quarter.

Scotland, soaking up intense pressure early on, claimed the first try as home full back Mark Bartholomeusz failed to gather a high kick from stand-off Duncan Hodge and Jamie Mayer raced between the posts.

And the tourists turned the screw as Lee opened up the midfield to set up Stirling centre Ian Jardine with a try in the corner.

The Scots waved goodbye to the nine-point lead as stand-off Pat Howard danced through the defence to score under the posts before the break, and soon afterwards John Langford touched down again after a drive from the line-out.

Lee, in fine form, notched another touchdown as Richard Metcalfe claimed line-out possession against the throw, but the ding-dong clash was left at 22-22 when Damien Smith set up winger Ricky Nalatu.

The Barbarians stepped on the gas with further tries from Ipolito Fenukitau and Nalatu, only for the courageous Scots to close the deficit with a second try from Lee and another from close range by Roxburgh.

Mayer came close for the visitors in injury time, but the flamboyant Barbarians held on to claim a victory they just about deserved.

Coach Jim Telfer said: "We were 12 points down but still managed to come back at the end. You have to give our side credit for that.

"But what worries me is that there were lapses of concentration in the middle of the game that let in tries."

Australian Barbarians: Bartholmeusz, Nalatu, Jones-Hughes, Flatley, Smith, Howard, Cordingly, Young, Cannon, Panoho, Langford, Sharpe, Gleeson, Bisseling, Fenukitau.

Scotland: Lee, Gilmour, Mayer, Jardine, Bulloch, Hodge, Burns, Mcllwham, Brotherstone, Stewart, Campbell, Metcalfe, Roxburgh, Reid, Holmes.

<IRELAND crashed to the third straight defeat on their South African tour as they were crushed 52-13 by Currie Cup champions Griqualand West.

The visiting forwards were constantly driven back by the Griquas pack, leaving the Springboks licking their lips for the First Test in Bloemfontein on Saturday.