Following their 27-13 victory over the Wallabies in their final Autumn Nations Series Test, here are our Scotland player ratings from an enthralling game at Murrayfield.
Scotland player ratings v Australia
15 Blair Kinghorn: Shifted back into his favoured position of 15, and looked much better for it. His playmaking skills were crucial in getting the most out of Darcy Graham and Huw Jones in the second 40, and he came up with some nice line breaks for good measure. Also notched a superb assist to round off some lovely rugby. Has this booked his spot on the plane next summer? 9
14 Darcy Graham: Just so slippery when he gets going and was once again in fine touch in a zippy Scotland attack. Looked to break away with virtually every carry and came up with some delicious line breaks. Watching him play like this is so enjoyable, and long may it continue. 8
13 Huw Jones: Was fairly quiet in the first-half, by his own standards, but exploded into life in the second as he hit full stride. Carried exceptionally well and was able to find consistent holes in the Wallabies defence to motor Scotland forward, and has done his Lions hopes the world of good as a result. 7
12 Sione Tuipulotu: Just as his main Lions competitor Bundee Aki put on a brilliant performance for Ireland, Tuipulotu responded with one of his own. He was right at the heart of everything good for Scotland in attack with some seriously powerful carries while he once again linked up well with the likes of Huw Jones and Darcy Graham. Came up with some big tackles in defence too, which rounded off a great game. 8
England v Japan preview: Eddie Jones’ ‘discards’ to haunt Brave Blossoms in emphatic end to losing streak
11 Duhan van der Merwe: Used his bulk to good effect ball-in-hand, but seemed to come off his wing and look for work more than usual, which was pleasing. Found some space in the second-half, too, and notched a try for his efforts. 7
10 Finn Russell: Came up with seriously classy touches, as you would expect from the Bath man, and he got the Scotland attack playing some serious champagne rugby. This was a big game for him, given he is the front-runner to start at 10 against the Wallabies for the Lions, and he certainly gave his chances a big boost today as he managed to find holes in their defence. 8
9 Ben White: Pretty steady performance again from the number nine. Distributed well out of the ruck and managed to form a solid partnership with Russell. 6
Back-row
8 Matt Fagerson: Brought plenty of physicality around the park on both sides of the ball and got heavily involved in the battle up front. Also improved as the game went on. 6
7 Rory Darge: Another really nuggety performance from the flanker, who is really becoming a key man for Scotland. He just seemed to spawn in virtually every breakdown as he made himself a consistent nuisance, and also just rolled his sleeves up around the park too in search of work. 7
Warren Gatland ‘motivated’ to be Wales boss but outlines ‘no-win situation’ regarding future
6 Jamie Ritchie: Busy shift around the park and just worked very hard for his side. Crucially grew into the game as it went along just as Australia began to change their attacking shape. 7
Tight five
5 Scott Cummings: Worked very hard for his side and just did exactly what was needed of him. Brought heaps of physicality to proceedings. 6
4 Grant Gilchrist: Big performance from the lock, rounding off a solid year in the Scottish jersey. Came up with some pivotal defensive efforts and proved to be a real thorn in the Wallabies’ side for much of the afternoon. 8
3 Zander Fagerson: Couldn’t make his usual mark on the scrum, but put in a mighty shift around the park. Got heavily involved in the work up front and also contributed to the overall attack with some deft passes. 7
2 Ewan Ashman: Mixed bag for the hooker. Solid around the park and carried hard through traffic, but struggled with the lineout in tough conditions. 5
1 Pierre Schoeman: Not his finest scrummaging performance, which is a shame considering he’d had a good autumn in that department. 5
Replacements: A very good impact from the Scotland bench, who came on and fixed some of the issues that had plagued them for much of the game. Rory Sutherland and Dylan Richardson improved things at the set-piece, while Josh Bayliss and Alex Craig made themselves very busy around the park and complemented the increasingly impactful touches of Matt Fagerson and Ritchie to good effect. George Horne also came on and injected some fizz to their attack, which brought the best out of Russell, Jones and Kinghorn. 7
READ NEXT: All Blacks overcome brave Italy as Will Jordan surpasses Jonah Lomu feat
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
