Scotland vs Wallabies: Five things we learned

Sat, Nov 12, 2016, 5:24 PM
Beth Newman
by Beth Newman
The Wallabies left it late to seal a famous win at Murrayfield with Tevita Kuridrani barging over to snatch a one-point win and keep Australia's Grand Slam dreams alive.

What are we talking about after Australia's win over Scotland? 

1. Steely-eyed Wallabies

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a performance like that from the Wallabies, in fact the most recent might have been their quarter-final match up against Scotland at the Rugby World Cup. After trailing by as many as nine points through the second half, they stuck to their guns and continued to attack hard. Some risky offloads cost them at times but it was ultimately their desire to keep the ball alive that kept them in it. Tevita Kuridrani’s hunger showed through in that final try, with the outside centre drawing on every millimetre of his reach. They’ve spoken often of character and resolve this season, and this was potentially the realisation of some of those lessons.

2. Scotland's start puts Wallabies back

It took Scotland just eight minutes to cross for their first try after a blistering start that put the Wallabies on the back foot. It wasn’t just their speed in attack that caught the Wallabies out but their defensive intensity. Starts have been a worry for the Wallabies for much of the year, particularly against New Zealand and England, and it’ll be a 'work on' for the Aussies. That they managed to come back from those challenges says plenty about this Australia team, but it's always better to start out in front.

3. Skelton card a setback for lock

Discipline is always an intriguing debate for the Wallabies and a Will Skelton yellow card put the Wallabies in potentially one of their most difficult spots of the year. A reckless cleanout put him in the bin just seven minutes into his stint off the bench. The mammoth lock wants to be more effective with his size and those careless incidents don’t help his cause. Was determined to make an impact and will hopefully learn from that.

4. Coleman blow

The Wallabies were dealt an early hit with in-form rookie and Wallabies lineout caller Adam Coleman off in the first five minutes. Rob Simmons did well after coming on far earlier than he expected, calling the lineouts as the Wallabies secured 14 of 16 for the match. The injury is a suspected medial ligament, which could spell the end of the forward’s debut season, pending the result of scans.

5. Izzy on the way back

It was another scoreless game for Israel Folau but the fullback stepped up his influence again in the nail-biting win over Scotland. He was involved in many of the critical plays in the match and created plenty throughout the match. In the lead-up to his 50th Test, he spoke of how he’s evolved this season and that showed. He could easily have been the match winner, running a supporting line to Tevita Kuridrani as the centre scored the match winner.

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