SCOTS ARE TALK OF THE TOWNS
SCOTLAND coach Gregor Townsend was a happy and proud man after watching his players beat Australia in Sydney.
British and Irish Lions call-up Finn Russell signed off from Scotland duty with 11 points – a try and three conversions – as Duncan Taylor and Hamish 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 CHRIS LEES Australia 19 Scotland 24 Genia scored Australia’s third midway through the second half but the visitors held on.
It was Scotland’s second successive triumph over the Wallabies Down Under, following a 9-6 victory in Newcastle in 2012.
“The last 15 minutes required huge effort because the Wallabies had a lot of possession,” Townsend said. “If you have to defend 10 to 15 minutes against a team as brilliant in attack as that you need strong bonds and that is what this team has.”
Australia head coach Michael Cheika was also full of praise for Scotland.
“We think they are a top, top team,” he said. “We have had big contests in the past. They are a well-coached team and they have had some big results in the Six Nations.
“We knew what we were in for and got exactly what we expected.”