Scotland defied the odds to upend Australia 15-13 in their rugby Test at Murrayfield this morning.
The Scots brought back their Six Nations side after the 60 point romp over Tonga last weekend, and were undercooked compared to a Wallabies team on a five match winning roll out of the Rugby Championship.
But two teams with similar attacking intent and style were over-exuberant and tried to force too much. The game descended into a ragged, tight affair which suited Scotland, which improved the longer it went. Scotland scored two tries to one.
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Australia was brilliant while it had a man in the sinbin bridging the interval, scoring 10 points to lead after a halftime deficit.
Scotland’s belief was growing, however, its scrum was dominating, and it retook the lead with a superb corner try by replacement hooker Ewan Ashman.
James O’Connor’s second penalty put Australia up by one with 15 minutes to go, but Scotland counterpart Finn Russell kicked the home side ahead in the 69th and they held on comfortably to beat the Wallabies a third straight time.
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“At halftime we knew we hadn’t played our best rugby, but there was a fire about us in that second half which was great to see, and there was an edge to our set piece,” said Gregor Townsend, unbeaten against Australia as the Scotland coach.
Scotland flanker Hamish Watson scored the only try of the first half, powering over from a beautifully executed lineout move that fooled Australia.
Australia thought it was going to equalise just before halftime when captain Michael Hooper reached out and touched down. But in a double blow, the try was cancelled and Allan Alaalatoa was sin-binned because Romain Poite, refereeing his 73rd and last Test, harshly decided the prop’s glancing touch of the chin of Scotland No.8 Matt Fagerson was a yellow card offence.
A 14 man Australia responded superbly with a penalty by O’Connor, playing his first Test in Britain in 10 years, and a converted try by flanker Rob Leota, set up by replacement back Izaia Perese in an impressive debut. They led 10-7.
Scotland fired back and was denied by a try-saving tackle by Nic White, but when Perese looked to be driving Ewan Ashman over the line, the replacement hooker on debut somehow dotted the ball in the left corner. It was no surprise. Ashman was the top try-scorer at the under-20 world championship in 2019.
O’Connor edged Australia back in front in the 65th but Russell replied in kind for 15-13 in the 69th after a fourth penalty against the Australia scrum.
Australia didn’t threaten a fifth lead change and Scotland won out, on attack, to the delight of its first home crowd in 20 months, 67,000-strong.
“We had to dig deep, Australia are a class side, the in-form team in world rugby,” Watson said.
“Something special is building here. It was a nervy last 10 minutes on the bench, but the fans got us through.”