The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Up clean sweep
with 11 points from a try and three conversions, as Taylor and Watson also touched down. Israel Folau crossed over for a brace of first-half tries for the hosts, with Bernard Foley’s conversion making it 17-12 at the break as they recovered from being 10-0 down. Will Genia scored Australia’s third midway through the second half but the visitors held on for the win.
It was Scotland’s second successive triumph against the Wallabies Down Under, after a victory in Newcastle in 2012.
“The last 15 minutes required huge effort because the Wallabies had a lot of possession,” Townsend said. “You could see their line break when we were only five points up in our 22 with the crowd behind them. The effort to get back on the ball, and Alex Dunbar managing to get the turnover, it was fantastic.”
The resolute defending at the end encouraged Townsend, who felt his team has learned from narrow defeats by Australia on the previous two occasions the teams have met, including the 2015 World Cup quarter-final. “A lot is about what happens when you have not got the ball,” he added. “They made the right decision to drive the lineout and keep possession in that last minute.”
Townsend, meanwhile, has allowed centre Dunbar and back-row Magnus Bradbury to begin their summer break a week early, while lock Lewis Carmichael has returned to Perth, Australia, where he will complete his loan spell with Super Rugby side Western Force. The departures reduce the Scots touring party to 30. Scot Andy Murray has hit back at John McEnroe’s claim he is not in the same league as the rest of the Big Four by arguing there is more to tennis than just winning grand slams.
Murray begins his grasscourt season at the Aegon championships this week where he is hoping to become a record six-time champion before the start of Wimbledon in a fortnight.
The 30-year-old remains world number one but has struggled this year, slipping behind the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in terms of form and following Novak Djokovic into an unexpected dip.
It means Federer will arguably be favourite at Wimbledon to clinch a 19th grand slam title, while Nadal and Djokovic are gunning for their 16th and 13th respectively.
McEnroe said that Murray, who has won three major titles, was “still a distant fourth” behind those three.
However, while the Scot admits that rings true for their whole careers, he pointed to his record at the Olympics – where he has won two singles gold medals – and over the last 12 months, as evidence to the contrary.
“For me, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. I’m very proud of the Olympic medals, they mean a lot to me,” said Murray at Queen’s Club yesterday.
Murray added: “If you look at the titles and everything those guys have won, I can’t compare myself to them. There’s maybe one or two things that I have done that they won’t have but, for the most part, I would have been fourth.
“But it’s not true of the last year because I’m ranked number one in the world. I’ve been better than them for the last 12 months, that’s how the ranking systems work.”
Murray will face British number four Aljaz Bedene tomorrow as he looks to recapture the title he won in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and last year.
Cameron Norrie, 21, could earn a second-round meeting with Murray if he upsets American Sam Querrey, while Kyle Edmund takes on Canada’s Denis Shapovalov.
“That try was an amazing build-up by the boys”