Scotland’s autumn report card reads three wins out of four. That will do nicely, but Gregor Townsend’s team felt obliged to defeat a resurgent Australia to regard this campaign as a success.
The hosts eventually scored four tries in overwhelming Joe Schmidt’s young side – there will be no Wallabies grand slam, no emulation of the heroes of 1984 – but the tourists stayed in the battle until the final quarter.
Player of the match, Blair Kinghorn, produced in an imperious display from full-back while the Scots captain, Sione Tuipulotu – born in Melbourne, raised between Australia and Tonga – led by example.
His Greenock-born grandmother, Jaqueline Thomson, even flew over for the occasion. “It felt weird,” Tuipulotu said of seeing her up on the stadium’s big screen. “I’m happy and a bit emotional that her life has gone full circle and she’s back here watching me play for Scotland. I’m just happy she gets to have that moment.”
In a fierce, niggly encounter Tuipulotu scored the opening try and also, unintentionally but significantly, took Australia’s Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii out with a rampaging carry. It became a comfortable victory but there was inaccuracy and frustration too, especially in the first half.
“Today was slightly off,” Townsend said of his side’s early struggles. “But it didn’t knock us off our stride. That was pleasing and there is more to come from this group.”
Storm Bert had caused havoc in the buildup but the players awoke to blue skies and mercifully warmer weather. “There was a fair few of us who hadn’t seen it snowing before,” the Wallabies captain, Harry Wilson, said of the midweek cold snap. “We were all pretty excited about it.” As if that had not been enough to deal with, Schmidt was forced to make two late changes before the early loss of Suaalii became a further blow.
This was the first time since last year’s Rugby World Cup match against Ireland that Townsend could select his preferred back three of Kinghorn, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe and there was excitement about a rapier-like attack meeting a skilful, improving Wallabies, but the early highlight was Graham’s exceptional winning of a breakdown penalty. A direct carry by the 21-year-old Suaalii helped to earn field position for Noah Lolesio to open the scoring off the tee, before Finn Russell fluffed a chance to level with his own kick.
When Ewan Ashman threw a lineout to Tuipulotu there was no stopping the home captain from close quarters. He ran straight through Len Ikitau, having brushed off Andrew Kellaway, after which Scotland raised the tempo. Tuipulotu cut in from the left, fed by Graham, and crunched into contact with Suaalii, who was taken off after exchanging a few words with his adversary.
It wasn’t the festival of rugby we had hoped for. Australia’s Carlo Tizzano was penalised soon after half-time, allowing Russell to pass 400 Scotland points with a penalty, only for Australia to answer immediately. The scoreboard was worryingly close for a campaign-defining fixture.
Home fans wailed when Tom Wright, the Australia full-back, appeared to block Ben White after the scrum-half chipped over the top. “Did he stand his ground, or did he put his shoulder in?” Townsend later wondered. The TMO decided the former, but that was all forgotten when Russell and the electrifying Kinghorn combined to send Van der Merwe darting over.
Another quicksilver attack saw Graham breaking the line and looping a pass to Bath’s Josh Bayliss, fresh off the bench. The back-rower had defenders to beat and applied a stunning finish. Russell’s conversion made it 22-6, Australia’s grand slam hope truly gone.
More exceptional work from Kinghorn helped to make it two Bath try-scorers inside four minutes when Russell jogged over. Australia’s Harry Potter [insert magic pun here] raced over for a debut try, a bright moment for the team to take into next week’s Dublin finale.
“I really do believe in this group, and I think they’re starting to believe in themselves,” said Schmidt, whose contract runs until after next summer’s Lions tour. The former Ireland coach says he will take a decision on his long-term future next month.
“We got the calculator out,” Townsend added of a first XV that boasted 690 caps, including a 50th for Matt Fagerson. “There’s a lot of experience around, but it’s also the fact they’re playing together, and sharing these experiences, that will be really important for the future.” The Six Nations, as always, will be the time to deliver.
