Scotland defeated Australia 15-12 at Murrayfield in a hard-fought Nations Championship fixture on Sunday securing their fifth win in six matches against the Wallabies through tries from Matt Fagerson and Jack Dempsey alongside late penalty points.
Murrayfield Arm-Wrestle
Scotland bounced back from a heavy defeat to New Zealand the previous week, eking out a gritty 15-12 victory over the Wallabies, TNT Sports reported. The win lifted Gregor Townsend’s side above Wales into fourth place in the Northern Hemisphere table.
Following an extended period of pressure close to the Wallabies try line, Ben White delivered a short pass out to the right for Fagerson to touch down in the ninth minute, although Finn Russell missed the target with his conversion kick as it struck the post.
Dempsey, who was born in Sydney and earned 14 caps for the Wallabies prior to switching his international allegiance in 2022, grounded the ball from close range to extend Scotland’s lead during the 28th minute.
Just short in Edinburgh. Thanks for a great match, @Scotlandteam 🤝 pic.twitter.com/sUcOUolyOq
Disallowed Scores and Yellow Cards
The hosts thought they had restored their lead in the 24th minute when Darcy Graham raced in to slam down a loose ball, but the TMO disallowed it as Kyle Steyn was deemed to have been in touch while keeping the attack alive.
Australia looked to have hit back just before the interval when Billy Pollard crossed off the back of a lineout maul, but that effort was also chalked off for obstruction, leaving the half-time score at 12-5.
The visitors suffered a further blow in the 46th minute when Pollard received a yellow card for a head-on-head collision on Blair Kinghorn under review. Yet the Scots were unable to make the extra man count during a scoreless third quarter. Australia defended stoutly until Russell finally gave the hosts some breathing space with a 75th-minute penalty.
A tight first half in Edinburgh. HT | Australia 5 – Scotland 12 pic.twitter.com/NGPUMVw8H8
Late Wallaby Surge Fails
Max Jorgensen crossed for a late try on the right in the 80th minute, with Ben Donaldson adding the extras to close the gap to three points. But the Scottish defence managed to hold on through the closing phases to deny the visitors a miraculous escape.
“It was a possibility all week that I could start, but in Rugby you have to always be prepared,” said Jack Dempsey. “It is a massive win, we were really dissapointed with the game last week, we need to make Murrayfield a fortress.”
“It was a tough week, we were really disappointed, but in Rugby sometimes you get a chance to put it right and today we got that,” said Rory Darge to ITV.
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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
