Sportsupdated 16m ago2 min read
Scotland Beat Australia 15-12 At Murrayfield In Nations Championship
12outlets comparedWhere the coverage agrees
5 Western Mainstream4 Other2 Local Western1 Latin AmericanThis article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Scotland defeated Australia 15-12 at Murrayfield in the Nations Championship. Townsend lauded Scotland's defence as pivotal in the arm-wrestle.
Save coverage image
Scotland edge Australia
Scotland beat Australia 15-12 at Murrayfield in the Nations Championship, with Scotland leading 12-5 at halftime after tries from Matt Fagerson and Jack Dempsey. Gregor Townsend hailed Scotland’s defensive efforts after the match, saying, "Defensively, that's one of the best performances I've seen in the last couple of years." Finn Russell kicked a penalty in the 75th minute to make it 15-5, and Max Jorgensen scored a converted try in the 80th minute to give Australia a late chance.
“Scotland has struck another big blow for the northern hemisphere in Nations Championship rugby by beating Australia 15-12 at Murrayfield.”
Darcy Graham then made the decisive tackle to drive Tom Wright into touch, and Scotland held on for the win as relief spread around Murrayfield. The match was described as an "arm wrestle" in which Scotland delivered a much-needed win on a chilly and damp Edinburgh day.
Townsend, Darge, and Graham
Townsend said the team adjusted after seeing rain half an hour before kick-off, adding, "Both teams had to adjust and I thought we did that well." Rory Darge captained Scotland in the absence of Sione Tuipulotu, who was ruled out with a knee injury, and Darge said, "It was a bit of an arm wrestle, the conditions played their part." The match also featured a late try from Max Jorgensen, but Scotland’s defense stopped Australia’s final push after Jorgensen fed Tom Wright and Graham tackled him into touch.
"If Darcy hadn’t made that tackle it would have been a tricky time," Townsend said, as Scotland avoided a last-ditch Wallabies attack. Townsend described the defensive performance as "one of Scotland’s best defensive performances over the last few years" while also flagging concerns over Tuipulotu’s fitness and Scott Cummings’ injury.
Northern Hemisphere table and next
Scotland moved above Wales into fourth place in the Northern Hemisphere table after the 15-12 win, and the result left the Scots unable to secure a bonus point. The next round of group games was scheduled for next Saturday. Australia lost four in a row and will go to Wales next week, while Scotland prepared for the next Test after the match at Murrayfield.
“The win secured the Hopetoun Cup for Scotland and improved its Nations Championship record to 3-2.”
Scotland had one eye on whether it could clinch a bonus-point victory that would have boosted their points difference and helped their chances of climbing the northern hemisphere table with Japan to come on Saturday. The win secured the Hopetoun Cup for Scotland and improved its Nations Championship record to 3-2.