Scotland defeated Australia 15-12 in a Nations Championship encounter at Murrayfield, handing the Wallabies their fourth defeat according to Kickoff.com and The Guardian.
Scotland bounced back from a defeat against New Zealand. Head coach Gregor Townsend overcame a late pre-match setback when captain Sione Tuipulotu was ruled out with a knee injury as reported by BBC.
The injury prompted a late reshuffle. Tom Jordan moved to the midfield at No 12. Rory Darge took the captaincy as openside flanker according to The Guardian.
The home side opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Ben White passed out to the right for Matt Fagerson to score after pressure near the try-line. Finn Russell missed the conversion attempt according to Rugbypass.com.
Just short in Edinburgh. Thanks for a great match, @Scotlandteam 🤝 pic.twitter.com/sUcOUolyOq
Australia responded in the 12th minute. Carter Gordon sparked an attack down the left.
Fraser McReight supplied the pass for Harry Potter to finish cleanly after eluding a tackle from Russell. Ryan Lonergan missed the conversion according to The Guardian and Rugbypass.com.
Scotland thought they had restored their lead in the 24th minute. Darcy Graham touched down after Kyle Steyn chased a grubber kick. The score was disallowed because Steyn’s foot was in touch according to The Guardian and Rugbypass.com.
Scotland capitalised after Australia was penalized for not rolling away. Russell kicked to the corner. No 8 Jack Dempsey burrowed over from short range in the 28th minute. Russell added the conversion to make it 12-5 The Guardian.
Australia thought they had hit back when Billy Pollard was pushed over following a lineout maul. The try was disallowed for an obstruction by Jeremy Williams following a television match official check, leaving the score 12-5 at halftime according to The Guardian.
Victory over Australia at Scottish Gas Murrayfield 🏴 Don't miss your last chance to watch Scotland at home this year when we take on Japan next week! 🏴 15-12 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/QchZWFKMPB
Five minutes into the second half, Pollard was sent to the sin-bin for an upright tackle and clash of heads with Blair Kinghorn The Guardian. The Scots were unable to extend their lead while the hooker was off the field The Guardian.
Inside the final 10 minutes, Australia was penalized for not rolling away inside their own 22. Russell kicked a penalty in the 75th minute to stretch the lead to 15-5 The Guardian, and Rugbypass.com.
Max Jorgensen scored a late try in the 79th minute. Ben Donaldson converted to narrow the gap to 15-12 Kickoff.com and Rugbypass.com.
A final, desperate attack by the Wallabies was thwarted by Graham, securing the narrow victory for the hosts The Guardian and Kickoff.com.
A tight first half in Edinburgh. HT | Australia 5 – Scotland 12 pic.twitter.com/NGPUMVw8H8
The win elevates Scotland above Wales into fourth place in the Northern Hemisphere table according to BBC and Rugbypass.com. Townsend’s side failed to secure a bonus point.
Despite the triumph, the failure to secure a bonus point leaves Townsend’s side unlikely to catch second-placed England or third-placed Ireland even if they achieve a high-margin victory over Japan in their upcoming fixture Rugbypass.com.