THE WALLOPIES

Sensational Scots round off Test series with stunning rout over awful Aussies

AS the curtain fell on the final Autumn Tests it was barely believable just how comprehensively Australia has been dismantled by Scotland.

A first home win and one of the most famous against the Aussies since 2009 and a display that ended with the dark blues scoring at will against the white flag-raising Wallabies.

Just how to sum up a performance of sensational attacking power was left to double try scorer and man of the match Byron McGuigan, a late replacement for Stuart Hogg, to come up with one word to sum up his feelings.

He said: “In one word. Amazing. I was meant to start on the bench so to come away with man of the match is incredible.

“The longer you play rugby the more you learn to enjoy every moment and to play at a sold- out Murrayfield was so special. I was told 10 minutes before the start I was playing and I was ready.

“I was quite relaxed as it was sprung on me.

“There is something special brewing here and Scotland are showing that from the last World Cup and it’s great to be a part of this.

“Gregor Townsend is a great coach and the results of the team are speaking for themselves.

“It’s always been a dream for me to play for Scotland. I had my mother, granny, g aunties and uncles u all here at the game g so it’s been a special s occasion.”

If the Wallabies could have hand picked a Scottish player to withdraw just minutes before the start Hogg would have been their unanimous choice.

The news of the Glasgow Warrior and key attacking weapon suffering a hip problem in the warm-up swept around Murrayfield and the bombshell set in but it wasn’t to matter.

It required a late reshuffle as McGuigan stepped up from the bench and Sean Maitland assumed the No.15 jersey.

There were gasps as the revamped side was announced and Scotland’s hero was nowhere to be seen – a pre- match hammer blow of enormous proportions that the team simply shrugged off.

Scotland immediately raised the tempo and began to run the ball and make some early ground.

A slick exchange down the left between Hamish Watson and McGuigan almost saw the Scots surge through. McGuigan fumbled at the decisive moment but it was another enterprising move to encourage the home crowd.

First blood was drawn by the hosts thanks to a 15th-minute Finn Russell penalty and Scotland were ahead.

McGuigan may have been a last- minute replacement but he was the man making things happen and produced a moment of brilliance two minutes later by intercepting a loose pass from Ben Foley and showed his football skills by kicking his way to a try in the corner and Russell banged over the conversion.

Another remarkable moment soon followed and again it was McGuigan who kicked towards the Aussie line and just as it appeared he’d repeated his previous feat the TMO showed he’d been foiled with a last gasp try saving touch from Will Genia.

The Sale Sharks wing was stealing the show on his first start for his country.

Inevitably, Australia showed their quality after some sustained pressure as Foley kicked a grubber which was collected by Tevita Kuridrani who dived over the line and Foley added the extras to reduce the deficit to three points.

Another surge allowed the Wallabies to take the lead three minutes from the interval and again it was Kuridrani who inflicted the damage after racing clear courtesy of another Foley feed but this time he failed with the conversion.

Sekope Kepu was then shown red for a violent elbow barge into the face of Watson to fuel Scottish hopes so soon after falling behind.

Then Ali Price wriggled over for a try to further boost matters before Russell’s conversion sent Scotland in at the break with a 17-12 lead. Australia responded with a Kurtley Beale try four minutes after the restart and Foley failed to add the extras so the score was tied.

Sean Maitland accelerated clear for a thrilling try within seconds and Russell was short with the conversion as the dark blues assumed control of the exhilarating contest.

It was to get better two minutes later as Scotland piled forward and Jonny Gray muscled over the line and Russell kicked the conversion.

Australia were being crushed by Scotland’s brilliance and Huw Jones was next to pick his way across the Wallabies line for a 56th-minute try but Russell missed the conversion.

McGuigan then helped himself to a second try as he dived over in the corner and Russell again went wide with the extra points.

One last act of Aussie defiance came through Lopeti Timani and Foley added the conversion which made the scoreline more palatable at 39-24.

But a seventh Scottish try arrived soon after and fittingly it was skipper John Barclay who powered over the line and Russell banged over another two points before Stuart McInally barged over the line for another.

Russell converted to put the seal on a sensational afternoon for Scottish rugby as the history books were rewritten.