Australia will be looking to keep the good times rolling when they take on the 'Scots at Murrayfield. The Wallabies are enjoying a fantastic time of it on their European tour beating England in their first fixture and then thrashing Wales this past weekend.
Autumn Nations Series
Scotland v Australia
Saturday 24 November, 15:40
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Will the Aussies be able to keep their attempt at a Dran Slam going or will the Scots put pay to that dream? Darry Worthington gives his verdict on that particular question, below.
To Win Match
Scotland 54/100 | Draw 23/1 | Australia 31/20
Handicap
Scotland (-3.5) | Australia (+3.5)
There’s hope at the end of the tunnel for Australian fans with Joe Schmidt turning this Wallabies outfit from the laughingstock of world rugby to a side that actually looks rather decent. To think he’s doing this in less than a year is rather astonishing but it just goes to show how poorly the Wallabies had been managed prior to the former Irish head coach’s arrival.
While the Australians had given a decent enough account of themselves prior to heading on tour – they beat Wales in a two-match mid-year series and while they only managed to bag one win in the Rugby Championship, they did give a decent account of themselves in the tournament as well – they’ve really looked a solid unit since hitting European shores.
They showed good resolve against the English as an injury-time try from replacement winger Max Jorgensen handed them a 37-42 win at ‘Rugby HQ’ and then they cut loose against the Welsh running in eight tries to claim a 20-52 victory.
Scotland will prove a step up in class for the Wallabies, however, as England are admittedly on the wane while the Welsh are in crisis. The Scots have shown they are a force to be reckoned with under the tutelage of Gregor Townsend and they have looked decent this Autumn giving South Africa a real run in a 15-32 defeat that even Rassie Erasmus said flattered his charges, while they racked up big wins over Portugal 59-21 and an admittedly understrength Fiji, who they beat 57-17.
The Scots have made a couple of changes to their back row with Matt Fagerson starting at eight while Jamie Richie gets the nod on the blindside. Further changes to the side see Duhan van der Merve selected on the wing and Blair Kinghorn getting the nod at fullback. The Aussies have also opted to switch things up in the backs with Harry Potter getting a debut on the wing while NRL convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaal comes in at outside centre.
Verdict: Australia
I reckon this could well be the game of the weekend in terms of entertainment with both teams playing attacking rugby. I like the total over-points markets for this one but I’ll also have a crack on the Wallabies claiming a win,
