Scotland vs. Australia result, highlights and analysis from rugby union Test match as Wallabies edge clash at Murrayfield

Jonathan Burnett

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Scotland vs. Australia result, highlights and analysis from rugby union Test match as Wallabies edge clash at Murrayfield image

Scotland missed a last-minute penalty as they lost by a point to a valiant Australia in a fascinatingly tight grudge match in Edinburgh.

A fast start to the contest culminated in the opening try, with hot-stepping Scotland full-back Ollie Smith diving over in the corner to score on just his second appearance in dark blue.

That start gave way to a jittery match littered with penalties, and Scotland were at fault for many of them. Repeated infringements allowed Australia to close the gap through Bernard Foley, whose two three-pointers from the tee gave the tourists a 6-5 lead at half-time.

Scotland fly-half Blair Kinghorn took the game by the scruff of the neck early in the second half, grubbering a loose ball forward to plant it down in the corner and give the hosts a nine-point lead.

However, Scotland's poor game management continued to cost them as they gifted Australia more penalties and chose not to kick for points from their own. The Wallabies finally got over the line midway through the second period as captain James Slipper crashed over from close range.

With their lead narrowed to two points, Scotland still didn't learn their lesson and conceded another penalty in kicking range for Foley, who duly put Australia back into a one-point lead, with the score 16-15 in their favour entering the last 10 minutes.

Scotland rallied late and won a penalty of their own right at the death, but Kinghorn couldn't find the target, and it was to be Australia's day.

Penalties aplenty scupper Scotland's efforts

Head coach Gregor Townsend would've been tearing his hair out (if he had any) for large portions of that match, as almost all of Scotland's progress became hindered by their frequently poor discipline. The Smith and Kinghorn tries showed plenty of promise for the hosts, but their constant conceding of penalties prevented them from making any other inroads.

Will Wallabies improve on their worrisome attack?

For all the possession and territory they had for much of the game, Australia should've been out of sight long before the final whistle. However, their lack of composure in the Scotland 22 cost them time and time again, and that's something coach Dave Rennie will need to try to fix if the Wallabies are to build on this slender victory in their four remaining end-of-year matches.

The Sporting News followed the match live, providing live updates and commentary below.

Scotland vs. Australia result

  1H 2H FT
Scotland 5 10 15
Australia 6 10 16

Tries: Smith, Kinghorn; Slipper

Conversions: Kinghorn (1); Foley (1)

Penalties: Kinghorn (1); Foley (3)

Scotland vs. Australia live commentary, highlights

FT: That's all from us, following a nail-biting encounter at Murrayfield. Both sides gave their absolute all in what was often a gruelling, physical encounter, but the Wallabies will be happy to get their five-match European tour off to a winning start. We'll see you for the rest of those games, and Scotland's too, next time.

FT: The full-time whistle goes, and Australia sneak home with a one-point victory after Kinghorn missed the chance to win it for Scotland! The hosts looked as if they would pull away in the second half as Kinghorn scored within seconds of the restart, but their indiscipline gave Australia a platform and the Wallabies finally scored through Slipper. Foley's penalty put them back in front, and that's how it finished in a very nervy, tight game that took its toll on both sides!

80 mins: Scotland 15-16 Australia. Scotland win a penalty just inside the Australian half, but Kinghorn's kick to win the game flies wide of the posts! There's next to no time left, and that will mean victory for the Wallabies!

78 mins: An attempted interception by Paisami goes to ground, and he's penalised having tried to catch with one hand. Had he caught that ball cleanly, he would've been away to score under the posts.

75 mins: White takes the line on and plays a flat ball to Hooper. He would have burst straight through the gap, but does so without the ball after spilling it, and Scotland gain a scrum on halfway from the flanker's knock-on.

71 mins: PENALTY - Scotland 15-16 Australia. Watson is pinged for offside as Scotland concede yet another penalty, and Foley slots it over to put the Wallabies back into the lead with less than 10 minutes left!

68 mins: Foley kicks for the corner after Scotland are penalised, but his kick doesn't make touch. It's allowed to bounce over the sideline by Van der Merwe and Horne though, and so the Wallabies will still get the line-out inside the Scottish 22.

64 mins: Kinghorn floats a kick towards the corner, which Banks can't catch cleanly and it goes over the sideline for a Scottish line-out! For a player once thought of exclusively as a full-back, Kinghorn has been almost faultless in the 10 jersey for the hosts today.

61 mins: TRY - Scotland 15-13 Australia! The Wallabies finally make the pressure tell and the forwards link up to score their first try! Valentini and Frost both get their hands on the ball, the latter offloading to Slipper who dots the ball down! Foley converts, and it's a two-point ball game at Murrayfield. 

60 mins: Australia gain a penalty advantage and Foley grubbers to the in-goal area. Two Wallabies are chasing hard, but Van der Merwe gets back to ground the ball and prevent a certain try.

57 mins: YELLOW CARD - The TMO makes the referee aware of Young's clear-out on McDermott from the tackle on Van der Merwe, and replays show that it's a brutal collision. He catches McDermott's head with his bicep, and Young is told that he's lucky it's only a yellow card!

56 mins: A huge chance for Scotland goes begging after Van der Merwe plucks Price's box kick out of Kellaway's hands. The hulking winger races down the left before being brought down, but the inside pass from the ruck is dropped by Gilchrist five metres out!

54 mins: PENALTY - Scotland 15-6 Australia. Another penalty goes against the Wallabies following offsides by Kellaway and then Foley, and Kinghorn this time elects to take the three points and sends the ball straight between the posts.

49 mins: Scotland win a penalty inside their own half, and Kinghorn unleashes a monster kick for touch, sending it almost beyond the Australian tryline, to throw in from just five metres out!

43 mins: TRY - Scotland 12-6 Australia! Another pass from the Wallabies goes to ground after Bennett smashes Foley, and Kinghorn reacts quickest, kicking it ahead twice and racing away from the chasers to dive over for Scotland! He converts his own try, as Scotland start the second half on fire!

41 mins: Foley kicks off the second half, and we're back up and running at Murrayfield!

HT: The game started at an electric pace, but following Smith's superb try that attacking verve, particularly from Australia, has fizzled out. Much of that has been down to Scotland's fantastic defence, but it's an issue the Wallabies need to fix if they're to have any chance of scoring points with ball in hand.

HT: Scotland 5-6 Australia. Two penalties from Foley give Australia the leads, and they've been the dominant side in the first half despite not scoring a try. Scotland scored in their first trip to the Wallabies' 22, and were held up in-goal on the second, but Australia have struggled in attacking areas. They've blown opportunities and been turned over several times on Scotland's line, and have had to settle for points exclusively from their fly-half's boot.

40 mins: PENALTY - Scotland 5-6 Australia. It's an easy one for Foley, who nails the kick from right in front, and it puts Australia into a one-point lead at half-time!

39 mins: Another penalty goes Australia's way, and sparks a small scuffle between Porecki and Zander Fagerson. They're quickly surrounded by their teammates and the referee, who manages to calm tensions as Foley points towards the sticks.

35 mins: Paisami breaks down the right and chips inside for Kellaway to chase, and the Wallabies winger almost gets to the ball before Smith slides in to recover possession on the Scotland tryline!

32 mins: Two successive penalties have the Wallabies camped in Scotland's 22, but from the attacking maul, a pod of forwards moves over the line without the ball, which is in back-play with the tackled Holloway!

28 mins: Scotland drive at the Australian line with phase after phase from their forwards. Watson dives over the ruck and looks to ground the ball, but he's held up by the Wallabies defenders.

27 mins: So close for Scotland! They have several phases on Australia's line and gain a penalty advantage. Kinghorn whips a long wide pass to Tuipulotu, but he spills the ball with the line begging!

24 mins: Scotland win the turnover after McDermott loses it, but Price's clearing kick is skilfully kept in play by Foley. He has time and space, but slices a punt straight into touch, giving Scotland an opportunity for some attacking ball of their own.

21 mins: After a fast and furious start to this match, play has slowed down somewhat since Foley's penalty, as Australia are unable to build a clean attacking play. Valentini loses the ball  inside the Scottish 22, and the hosts look to counter from deep.

16 mins: PENALTY - Scotland 5-3 Australia. After Scotland are penalised for a ruck infringement, Foley steps up, and kicks Australia's first points of the match from the tee. 

11 mins: TRY - Scotland 5-0 Australia! What a try from the hosts, in their first real attacking move! Tuipulotu and Kinghorn both engage defenders before passing out the back, and Smith bursts onto the latter's ball. He steps outside McDermott, and then inside Banks, to score a beauty in the left-hand corner! Kinghorn pulls the conversion wide of the sticks.

7 mins: Australia move the ball from right to left through Foley and Paisami, and Holloway offloads to Hooper, who surges down the flank. The Wallabies come back inside and pound the Scottish line, but Scotland win a ruck penalty to give themselves a reprieve.

3 mins: It's been a really fast-flowing and open start, and McDermott's in the mood too as he ducks through the line to burst forward. He kicks as he runs towards Smith, but collides with the Scotland full-back and the ball bounces dead!

Kick-off: Both Flower of Scotland and Advance Australia Fair are sung with such passion, and with both teams ready to go, Kinghorn gets the game underway for the hosts!

5 mins to KO: The players and match officials make their way onto the pitch, and we're not far away from kick-off now as the national anthems begin!

10 mins to KO: It's an absolutely packed house at Murrayfield as we await kick-off, and the crowd is set for another classic encounter between these two sides.

15 mins to KO: The Wallabies have had selection worries of their own, and are missing several key names due to injury. One key inclusion though, is the return of Michael Hooper, with the former captain straight back into the starting XV following a mental-health break earlier this year.

30 mins to KO: With this match taking place before any others in Europe's international window, Scotland have only Glasgow and Edinburgh-based players to choose from. Blair Kinghorn starts at fly-half, while blindside flanker Jamie Ritchie captains the side in the absence of Exeter Chiefs full-back Stuart Hogg.

45 mins to KO: Scotland's form this year has also been inconsistent, with Gregor Townsend's men only winning two of their five games in the Six Nations Championship; and losing a three-test series with Argentina in the summer, by two matches to one.

60 mins to KO: Australia have only won three of their nine matches so far in 2022, but a victory at Murrayfield will be the perfect way to begin their end-of-year campaign. The Wallabies will head head to France, Italy, Ireland and Wales as part of their spring tour.

75 mins to KO: It's not been long since these two last met, after Scotland were victorious in last season's autumn test. The Scots beat Australia by 15 points to 13 last November, thanks to tries from Hamish Watson and Ewan Ashman.

90 mins to KO: Hello and welcome to Scotland vs. Australia, the first of these sides' end-of-year Test matches at Murrayfield.

Scotland vs. Australia lineups

The biggest talking point in the Scotland camp is surrounding someone who isn't in it, after maverick fly-half Finn Russell was dropped from the squad by Townsend.

Fullback Stuart Hogg has been stripped of the captaincy, with Blair Kinghorn and Ollie Smith starting in the 10 and 15 jerseys respectively. Jamie Ritchie is the new skipper and could be joined in the back row by replacement Jack Dempsey. The Sydney-born flanker appeared 14 times for the Wallabies between 2017 and 2019 but changed his international allegiance to Scotland this year.

Scotland XV: Ollie Smith, Darcy Graham, Mark Bennett, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Blair Kinghorn, Ali Price; Pierre Schoeman, David Cherry, Zander Fagerson, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Matt Fagerson

Scotland replacements: George Turner, Jamie Bhatti, WP Nel, Glen Young, Jack Dempsey, George Horne, Ross Thompson, Damien Hoyland

The big inclusion for Australia is the return of influential flanker Michael Hooper. The 30-year-old took a mental health break this year and missed the Rugby Championship but is back in his No. 7 jersey for this match. Fullback Jock Campbell impressed in a recent three-game series between Australia's 'A' side and a Japan XV and could make his debut off the bench for the green and gold.

Australia XV: Tom Banks, Andrew Kellaway, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Tom Wright, Bernard Foley, Tate McDermott; James Slipper, Dave Porecki, Allan Alaalatoa, Nick Frost, Caderyn Neville, Jed Holloway, Michael Hooper, Rob Valentini

Australia replacements: Folau Fainga'a, Matt Gibbon, Taniela Tupou, Ned Hanigan, Langi Gleeson, Nic White, Noah Lolesio, Jock Campbell

MORE: The 'quite weird' Redpath reaction to his Scotland unavailability

How to watch Scotland vs. Australia

  UK Australia New Zealand
TV channel — — Sky Sport
Stream Amazon Prime Video Stan Sport Sky Sport website/app

UK: The Test match is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Australia: All matches in the Autumn Nations Series, as well as this Test, will be streamed via Stan Sport in Australia.

New Zealand: Sky Sport is the place to catch the end-of-year international matches.

 

Scotland are out to put their series defeat to Argentina behind them as they look to claim a scalp over Australia, a side they have had success over in recent years.

Gregor Townsend's men are on a three-match winning streak over the Wallabies, having won 15-13 in their previous contest in last year's autumn internationals. They are bidding for a 13th victory overall in what will be their 34th meeting.

This has been a year to forget for Australia, who have slumped to ninth in the world rankings — their lowest ever position. Since beating England in their first Test of the year, Dave Rennie's men have only won twice and lost four matches in the 2022 Rugby Championship.

However, the Wallabies have the chance to develop their identity with the 2023 World Cup less than a year away, and they will want to prove that their recent form has been part of a building process towards success on the biggest stage of all.

Scotland vs. Australia odds

It's a tough, tough match-up to call on paper, and the mood of the bookmakers reflects that. Sky Bet are giving evens on a Scotland victory, while both they and Ladbrokes are at 8/11 on the Wallabies picking up the win.

It's likely to be a tight game — as many between these two sides have been — but not one that will be tied, with the shortest odds on a draw at 20/1 from Sky Bet.

  UK (Sky Bet) Australia (Ladbrokes)
Scotland win 1/1 5/6
Australia win 8/11 8/11

Jonathan Burnett

Jonathan Burnett Photo

Jonathan is a freelance content producer and commentator for Sporting News UK, with a focus on international rugby tournaments like the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup. He also works as a commentator for StatsPerform’s football network, covering matches across Europe including the Champions League, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2023 Women's World Cup. He’s a regular contributor to the history and statistics website Rugby League Project.

Jonny graduated from Leeds University with a journalism degree in 2021 and was Head of Media at Widnes Vikings RLFC in 2023. A self-confessed nerd of rugby league, union and football (soccer). Jonathan’s coverage across several sports can be found on the TSN site.