Scots end autumn with statement win over Australia

Autumn Nations Series: Scotland v Australia

Scotland (7) 27

Tries: Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Bayliss, Russell Pens: Russell Cons: Russell 2

Australia (3) 13

Tries: Potter Pens: Lolesio 2 Cons: Donaldson

Scotland scored three second-half tries to earn a statement Autumn Nations Series victory against Australia at a heaving Murrayfield.

Wallabies fly-half Noah Lolesio put the visitors ahead, but Scotland led 7-3 at the break with Sione Tuipulotu smashing over for a try and Finn Russell adding a penalty.

Gregor Townsend’s team upped the ante in a major way after the break. Duhan van der Merwe scored a cracker, thereby putting himself back on top of Scotland’s all-time try scoring chart.

Substitute back-row Josh Bayliss finished marvellously after a sweeping move and he was followed over the try-line four minutes later by the great orchestrator, Russell.

Harry Potter narrowed the gap at the end for the Wallabies, but it was done by then and Scotland could reflect on an autumn in which they have won three of their four games after victories over Fiji and Portugal and defeat against South Africa.

Scotland took a while to get going, but once they got on top they never looked back. Jamie Ritchie and Grant Gilchrist were standouts in a fantastic forward effort which laid the groundwork for the backs to light up Murrayfield.

The Wallabies dominated early on without ever getting a whole lot of change out of the Scottish defence.

The three points they got, from Lolesio penalty, was a disappointing return from all that territory. Scotland sang the same tune thereafter when failing to make the most of their field position.

Russell missed a penalty in front of the posts to draw Scotland level, but they hit the front a minute later when their execution from a close-range lineout was precise.

Ewan Ashman went out the back to Tuipulotu, who came thundering on to it and blasted through Andrew Kellaway and Len Ikitau to score. Russell converted and Scotland led 7-3.

Scotland became forceful in the wake of the try, but like the Wallabies before them, they couldn’t make the most of their attacking vengeance.

In the midst of it, the wonder boy Joseph Suaalii smashed Tuipulotu in the tackle, but invalided himself out of the game as a consequence. The young man left the field with a twisted wrist and a face of thunder.

Australia had been under the cosh for seven or eight minutes but hadn’t conceded and went into the break 7-3 down.

They were in trouble again early in the new half when Scotland had an attacking lineout seven metres from the visitors’ line, but Ashman’s throw went badly awry.

The respite was brief. Scotland came to life, They attacked again, worked the Wallabies right, and then attacked left through Russell, Kinghorn and then Van der Merwe.

The wing had been anonymous but that’s the thing with Van der Merwe. You can’t give him space for a second. Over he went and Russell added a wonderful conversion to make it 17-6.

Scotland kept the heat on, surviving a Max Jorgensen-inspired breakaway thanks to a brilliant recovery from Tuipulotu, before scoring the try that effectively won it.

It was a thing of wonder. Huw Jones wriggled through traffic and got it to Darcy Graham, who stepped, slithered and scarpered away from the Wallabies.

Bayliss was running support on the right wing, but when he got it he still had a mountain of work to do and three Wallabies to negotiate. No sweat. The back row blasted on and finished magnificently.

Scotland had broken the Wallabies, who were beginning to slide off tackles while struggling horribly to live with the tempo.

Four minutes after Bayliss scored, there was more excellence from Scotland.

Van der Merwe broke a tackle and gave an inside ball to Kinghorn, who fed the outstanding Russell. The fly-half went over and the lead stretched to a barely-believable 21 points.

Potter’s superb finish towards the end gave the Wallabies some heart but it was never going to keep their hopes of an autumn grand slam alive.

That had been trampled underfoot by Scotland’s second-half powerhouse performance.

Scotland: Kinghorn, Graham, Jones, Tuipulotu (c), Van der Merwe; Russell, White; Schoeman, Ashman, Z Fagerson, Gilchrist, Cummings, Ritchie, Darge, M Fagerson.

Replacements: Richarsdson, Sutherland, Hurd, Craig, Bayliss, Horne, Rowe, Jordan.

Australia: Wright, Kellaway, Suaalii, Ikitau, Potter; Lolesio, Gordon; Bell, Faessler, Alaalatoa, Salakaia-Loto, Skelton, Valetini, Tizzano, Wilson (c).

Replacements: Paenga-Amosa, Kailea, Nonggorr, Frost, Gleeson, McDermott, Donaldson, Jorgensen.