‘BETTER THAN ALL BLACKS’
SCOTLAND are ready to put the shackles on the most dangerous attacking side in world rugby – and finish 2018 on a high by beating Australia at Murrayfield this afternoon.
Defence coach Matt Taylor confessed yesterday that he sees the Wallabies back division as more of a threat than the All Blacks.
And skipper John Barclay insisted that the Aussies play with even more dazzling style than the team sitting top of the world rankings.
But both have backed the thin blue line to stand firm as the Scots seek their seventh victory of the calendar year — despite man-mountain centre Alex Dunbar being ruled out with a head injury.
Taylor laid out the scale of the challenge posed by Australia as he declared: ‘They’ve got arguably the best backline in the world, from an attacking point of view.
‘With Samu Kerevi and Tevita Kuridrani in the centre, they’ve got the two big guys who can batter up.
‘And with Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale acting as two receivers, they can bring some real width to the game. So it is going to be a challenge, definitely.
‘We’re going to have to tackle well, we’re going to have to have good width, we’re going to have to fill the field and get up and pressure their ball players.
‘It means us understanding and being on the same page, that we’re setting up defensively correctly and we’re tackling very well as well. Because they’ve got some really big guys.
‘They are one of the best attacking teams around. To beat New Zealand less than a month ago, they are in a pretty good space.’
Taylor is confident, despite Dunbar failing to complete return to play protocols after suffering a concussion in last weekend’s narrow loss to the All Blacks.
Scotland captain Barclay added his praise for today’s visitors, declaring: ‘They play as good, if not better, brand of attacking rugby than New Zealand.
‘They play a very fast game, with very clean ball at the breakdown. They have some quality players. They obviously have good ball carriers in the forwards and some pretty handy, skilful backs.
‘Like any game, we will try to slow their momentum a bit and try to stifle their creativity.’
For their part, the Aussies are determined to send Stephen Moore off in style as the hooker bows out of professional rugby.
The former Wallabies skipper confirmed his decision to retire from the game earlier this week, bringing an end to a 12-year international career which has seen him win 128 caps for his country and assistant coach Nathan Grey has praised the hooker’s impact on the game.
‘He’s a real great example of what rugby is all about,’ said Grey.
‘He’s in the group at the moment as the elder statesman, and it’s interesting seeing him sit down at meal times and chat with the other guys — sometimes the music choices are a bit above his head!
‘It’s a real tribute to him as a man. We’re really looking forward to playing well for Steve.’