Scotland vs Australia LIVE: Result, final score and reaction from Autumn International match today
Follow all the latest reaction from the match at Murrayfield after Scotland’s dogged win
Scotland’s replacement hooker Ewan Ashman scored a try on his debut as they won the forward contest to defeat Australia 15-13 in a feisty autumn international clash at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Loose-forward Hamish Watson also crossed for a try, and flyhalf Finn Russell slotted one penalty and a conversion as the Scots kept up their winning run against Australia with a third successive victory.
Australia, who were beaten at the breakdown and in the scrum, managed a single try through loose-forward Rob Leota as prop Allan Alaalatoa also received a contested yellow card.
Russell landed the winning penalty after 69 minutes as the visitors were penalised at the scrum yet again, much to the delight of the home fans in the 65,700 crowd.
Scotland vs Australia
Michael Hooper leads an Australia side who are full of confidence following a run of five consecutive wins, but the Wallabies are without a trio of star names who were crucial to their recent form. Quade Cooper, Samu Kerevi and Sean McMahon have all returned to their clubs in Japan, leading to recalls for the likes of Rory Arnold, Will Skelton and Kurtley Beale. Andrew Kellaway makes his first start at full-back, while James O’Connor makes his first start of the year at fly-half.
Australia: Andrew Kellaway, Tom Wright, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Jordan Petaia, James O’Connor, Nic White; Rob Valetini, Michael Hooper (captain), Rob Leota, Izack Rodda, Rory Arnold, Allan Alaalatoa, Folau Fainga’a, James Slipper.
Replacements: Connal McInerney, Angus Bell, Taniela Tupou, Will Skelton, Pete Samu, Tate McDermott, Kurtley Beale, Izaia Perese
Scotland vs Australia
Scotland captain Stuart Hogg has urged his team-mates to build on impressive away wins at England and France in the Six Nations earlier this year and claim another scalp against Australia this afternoon.
“To be the best team in the world, you’ve got to beat the best and Australia are right up there,” Hogg said.
“It’s not every year you get the opportunity of playing these southern hemisphere teams. The last time I played against Australia was in 2016, so it doesn’t come around all the time.
“We like to challenge ourselves against the best teams. It’s going to be a hugely physical encounter for us.”
“We’ve played some really good rugby over the last couple of years and we’re growing in confidence at every opportunity we get. We need to continue and learn what it takes to be the best. It’s a hugely exciting time for us.”
Scotland vs Australia
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, ahead of his side’s match against Australia:
“While there were several positives to take from the win against Tonga we face a very different opponent in Australia this week.
“They are coming into this fixture clearly off the back of good results and full of confidence, so we will need to bring focus, accuracy and aggression for the full 80 minutes.
“We have been able to select an experienced team with the availability of our players outside of Scotland and aim to use the remaining Autumn Nations Series fixtures to build our game through improving week on week.”
How to watch Scotland vs Australia online and on TV today
Scotland host Australia in an Autumn Internationals fixture at Murrayfield this afternoon, in what is the first meeting of the countries in almost four years.
Gregor Townsends’s team secured back-to-back wins over Australia in both Sydney and Edinburgh back in 2017, but the sides have not played each other since.
Scotland defeated Tonga at Murrayfield last weekend as the hosts returned to action, while Australia are coming off a victory over Japan two weeks ago.
Dave Rennie’s side also finished second in the recent Rugby Championship after beating world champions South Africa and Argentina home and away, but losing out to eventual winners New Zealand in both matches.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match this afternoon.
How to watch Scotland vs Australia online and on TV today
All the information you need to know ahead of the match today
Scotland vs Australia
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has selected an experienced side to play Australia, with only one change in the starting XV from the team which ended the 2021 Six Nations with victory over France in Paris in March.
Edinburgh loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman – who made his debut in the 60-14 win over Tonga last weekend – earns his second cap after injury ruled out Rory Sutherland, the only member of the team from Paris who does not feature this time.
Townsend has selected all the available Scottish British and Irish Lions contingent, which sees Stuart Hogg return to captain the team at full-back. Hogg is joined in the back three by Duhan van der Merwe, while other Lions Ali Price and Finn Russell continue their half-back partnership and Matt Fagerson starts at number eight.
PA
Scotland vs Australia
Scotland host Australia this afternoon as the weekend’s autumn internationals action comes to a close at Murrayfield. Gregor Townsend’s side opened their autumn series with a comprehensive 10-try victory over Tonga last weekend, but the Scotland head coach has been boosted by the returning captain Stuart Hogg and star fly-half Finn Russell for the visit of the Wallabies. Townsend has named a strong and experienced side, including 14 of the 15 players who played in Scotland’s win in Paris earlier this year in the final fixture of their Six Nations campaign.
Dave Rennie’s Australia side are on a winning run of five matches, which includes back-to-back victories over world champions South Africa in the recent rugby championship. The Wallabies tasted defeat on their last visit to the Scottish capital, however, in a 53-24 defeat in 2017 that followed another Scotland win in Sydney earlier that summer. The visitors have named Kurtley Beale on their bench, with the powerful back set to make his first Wallabies appearance since the Rugby World Cup in 2019. Australia are coming off a victory over Japan two weeks ago and face clashes against both England and Wales in the coming weeks.
Follow for live build up ahead of this afternoon’s clash.
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