The Wallabies have been handed a second loss in the European leg of the Nations Championship, going down swinging 15-12 to Scotland in Edinburgh.
Rainy conditions in the Scottish capital set the stage for a game of attrition, with the hosts losing captain Sione Tuipolotu to a knee injury before kick-off, but ultimately holding on to win by prevailing in contests at the breakdown, aerial game and territory.
The Scots threatened early, looking dangerous whenever they had ball in hand and looking to score tries, entering the Australian 22 twice and having all possession and territory in the opening ten minutes
They breached the Australian line in the ninth minute, with Matt Fagerson benefiting from a condensed Wallaby defence to put the hosts ahead.
However, it lasted only two minutes, with Australia’s first venture into Scottish territory met by an immediate response: Gordon found space out wide for Harry Potter, who bumped off a tackle to level the scores.
The game became a battle of territory, as both sides looked to play open, expansive rugby – with defence, speed and the kicking battle quickly presenting themselves as the critical contests of the game.
The hosts, who still dominated the possession ledger, appeared to reclaim the lead in the 23rd minute through Darcy Graham, the Scots finding space out wide against the defence before the TMO ruled the ball was already in touch.
However, sustained pressure and favourable territory would see the Scots get over just shy of the half hour mark to reclaim, with former Wallaby Jack Dempsey taking route one in a strong contest with the forwards.
The Wallabies missed a chance to go level through the maul, with referee Jame Doleman ruling an obstruction on Jeremy Williams, but they found success at the scrum, getting a chance to draw level before the break.
However, the visitors couldn’t capitalise, heading into the break down with the score in Scotland’s favour, 12-5.
With play back underway, things didn’t start well for the visitors, and Scotland continued to hold the upper hand in the territory contest, before the Wallabies lost Billy Pollard to the bin for a high shot on Blair Kinghorn.
The visitors survived the ten minutes, but found themselves on the back foot the entire time, as Scotland found ascendancy in the aerial game, hounding the Wallaby line and searching for a knockout blow.
The visitors finally got some ball as the final 20 minutes of the match began, but Scotland’s defence proved resolute, the second half an arm-wrestling match between the sides.
However, Scotland’s momentum across the game finally paid off in the final five minutes, as a key penalty saw Finn Russell step up and make no mistake from the tee, giving the hosts a ten-point lead with the clock winding down.
In the 78th minute, the Wallabies finally broke through, Max Jorgensen finding space to score, with Donaldson converting to give the Wallabies a sniff of hope.
With the clock red, the visitors needed to go the length of the field to win, and despite Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii breaking the line, the Scottish cover defence picked up a loose pass, with Blair Kinghorn running into touch to secure victory for the hosts.
Source: rugby.com.au
