Scotland pass their defining Autumn test with distinction as Jamie Ritchie epitomises display

It was the 50th win of Gregor Townsend’s seven-year reign and although the Scots lacked a little accuracy in the first half, they more than made up for it after the interval with a second-half performance which was as good as Murrayfield had seen in a long while.

Sione Tuipulotu’s granny Jaqueline Thomson had flown in from Melbourne for the match and she was treated to a first-half try from her grandson. The Greenock-born Thomson is the reason Tuipulotu qualifies for Scotland and she looked thrilled to see her “wee man” cross for the opening score.

It got even better after the break as Duhan van der Merwe, Josh Bayliss and Finn Russell scored the tries which gave a more accurate reflection of Scotland’s dominance. Russell converted two of them and added a penalty to push past the 400 points mark for Scotland.

Joe Schmidt’s Australia, having beaten England and thrashed Wales, had been highly fancied coming into this match but their dreams of a Grand Slam tour were ended emphatically. The score was 7-3 to the hosts at half-time but the visitors couldn’t live with Scotland’s attacking verve and superior fitness as the match wore on. The Scottish defence was also superb, with the recalled Jamie Ritchie particularly impressive.

Schmidt enjoyed the upper hand over Townsend as coach of Ireland but it was the latter who came out on top this time around as Scotland finished their year in some style. They won nine of the 13 internationals they played in 2024, although several of them were against Tier 2 opposition. Their autumn report card reads, played four, won three, lost one. The only defeat was against world champions South Africa, while the victories were against Fiji, Portugal and now the Wallabies.

Australia began brightly enough. They dominated possession and territory but all they had to show for it was three points, Noah Lolesio kicking a penalty after the Scots strayed offside. It wasn’t a bad outcome for Scotland given they had spent the opening 10 minutes pinned back in their own 22.

They began to feel their way into it thereafter and there was a confidence in the way they took the game to their opponents. Kickable penalty opportunities were rejected in favour of going for the corner as the home side showed their ambition. But when Australia were marched back ten metres after Tom Wright stopped Ben White getting the ball, the chance was too good to turn down. Unfortunately for Scotland, Russell’s kick at goal struck the upright from 35 metres.

The hosts didn’t linger on the disappointment and scored the game’s opening try a couple of minutes later from a well-worked lineout move. Ewan Ashman threw it over the back and Tuipulotu seized upon it and ran through unchallenged. A good try, but from Australia’s point of view it was far too easy. Russell slotted the conversion.

Scotland were sniping well, with Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie and Darcy Graham all winning important turnovers. A little needle was creeping into the game and when Aussie wunderkind Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii tried to take out Tuipulotu with a mighty hit he just seemed to bounce off the Scotland captain. Tuipulotu went over to have a word with Suaalii at the next break in play and the Wallaby centre didn't take too kindly to it. In fact, he had come off far worse in the initial collision and had to be replaced by Max Jorgensen. The former rugby league man looked decidedly miffed as he trudged off.

Scotland continued to press but they lacked the precision to make the most of their dominance. Matt Fagerson knocked on from a promising position and then Blair Kinghorn was smothered when he could have shipped it wide to the supporting Duhan van der Merwe.

In truth, Scotland should have been more than 7-3 ahead at the turn but they made it 10-3 early in the second half when Russell kicked a penalty after a bright start. The good work was swiftly undone as the alert Carlo Tizzano won a penalty for the Wallabies from the restart and Lolesio added the three points.

The early Sunday kick-off had meant Murrayfield was a little quieter than usual but the stands exploded with righteous indignation when White was taken out by Wright. The Aussie full-back had been something of an irritant all match and when the Scotland scrum-half chipped ahead from a promising position he simply stood his ground and stopped White in his tracks.

It looked pretty cynical, but repeated viewing on the big screen convinced Irish referee Chris Busby that Wright had not moved into White’s path and no foul play had occurred. The crowd didn’t like it and the players, too, seemed fired up. It became all out attack from Scotland and they were rewarded with their second try. Kinghorn was the creator, spinning it wide to van der Merwe who finished in the corner for his 30th Test try, a new Scottish record. Russell converted expertly to make it 17-6.

Scotland were starting to find gaps in the Australian defence and scored two tries in five minutes to finish off their opponents. Bayliss’ came after great broken-field running from Graham. The Scotland replacement still had plenty to do when he took the pass on the Australian 22 but showed great strength and skill to force his way over. The fourth try was the piece de resistance, van der Merwe running amok before his fellow backs showed great hands as the ball was shipped from Huw Jones to Kinghorn and then Russell who finished things off.

Harry Potter had the final word, outpacing George Horne for a consolation try for the Wallabies which Ben Donaldson converted.

READ MORE - How the Scotland players rated against Australia