Match Report: Australia 38-31 Scotland

In the early exchanges, and despite an early turnover from the ever-impressive Evie Gallagher, Scotland coughed up that possession to allow Australia an easy early opportunity.

It then took just three minutes for the Wallaroos to get on the scoreboard, winger Amelia Whitaker bounding over from an overlap, beating two flailing defenders and crossing the whitewash. Samantha Wood added the extras in a perfect opening for the hosts (7-0, 4 mins).

Katie Buchanan, so impressive in her embryonic career to date, threatened the Aussie line soon after but Scotland conceded a penalty in the tackle to halt momentum, although she was soon after on hand to help hold up Whitaker at the other end.

But it was on the other wing that Australia’s second came, Maya Stewart finishing off a tidy backs move from a scrum after Helen Nelson had launched a goal-line drop-out out on the full. Wood landed a neat conversion (14-0, 12 mins).

Scotland fought their way back into proceedings when, after a clever line-out move up the blindside, skipper Rachel Malcolm was most alert to dot down from a metre out. Nelson’s conversion clipped the post (14-5, 16 mins).

Scotland had their foothold in the game, with the forwards having the better of things with their opposite pack especially in and around the attacking maul. It brought a confidence that allowed Buchanan another foray up the left touchline, with only good Wallaroo scramble defence thwarting a second Scottish score.

Australia were leaking penalties at an alarming rate, although Faliki Pohiva’s high hit on Aicha Sutcliffe could have warranted a yellow card outright rather than no penalty whatsoever.

Referee Maggie Cogger-Orr and her team then almost came to the same conclusion when Chloe Rollie was caught on the high side by Cecilia Smith, after deliberation, they arrived at a yellow card for the Australia centre.

And Scotland struck just at the right time when, after a superb touchfinder from Meryl Smith, Sutcliffe emerged from the rolling maul with her third international try, Nelson’s terrific touchline conversion taking it to a two-point game (14-12, 35 mins).

Evie Gallagher’s marauding run through the middle of the pitch sparked another Scottish attack, with Waiaria Ellis’ clumsy attempt to slow the ball down leading to another yellow card as the Wallaroos went down to 13.

And Scotland sensationally took the lead when Buchanan took advantage of the extra players to scamper down the left, beat two defenders with dancing feet and performed an acrobatic finish (14-17, 38 mins).

Half-time: Australia 14-17 Scotland

Faitala Moleka’s telling run was the first play of note after the interval and, with the Wallaroos back to 14 players, parity in numbers was restored when Rollie’s clumsy deliberate offside afforded her a card of her own, before Moleka ghosted through to add insult (21-17, 44 mins).

With Scotland a player down still, they eschewed the opportunity to clear their lines and got bogged down in own-22 possession, leading eventually to a turnover and in turn Piper Duck racing over on the left (28-17, 52 mins).

This see-saw affair took another twist when, after Gallagher’s thumping charge into the Aussie 22, Rhona Lloyd was on hand to cruise over after a cool lopped ball from Meryl Smith. Nelson again landed an absolute beauty of a conversion (28-24, 56 mins).

Sam Wood landed a fifth goal of the match, after an offside, to creep Australia further ahead (31-24, 59 mins).

Then came the try of the game. A series of breaks and offloads between Smith, Whitaker and captain Siokapesi Palu Sekona (captain), that took them from their own 22, saw the latter score, perhaps fortuitously in the end after what looked like a potential forward pass; on review the try was good, and converted by Wood (38-24, 62 mins).

Yet another high tackle, this time from Eva Karpani on her 50^th cap after a high one on Meryl Smith, led to the game’s fourth sin-binning, a decision that remained a yellow after consultation.

Referee Cogger-Orr produced a fifth card the of the day after deeming Lloyd’s attempt to grasp an intercept had stopped a potential try-scoring opportunity, but the margins were admittedly fine.

It meant that Scotland would finish the game without a full complement but they needn’t have worried as, in a match with a flurry of activity, Cecilia Smith picked up a second yellow for a high tackle on Elliann Clarke, turning it into a red card.

It gave Scotland a sliver of hope in the contest and when captain Malcolm dotted again from a similar range to her first, Nelson’s conversion brought into prospect a draw (38-31, 78 mins).

Such a thrilling end didn’t materialise as Australia closed out a third straight WXV Global Series win against their opponents.

Full-time: Scotland 38-31 Australia

Scotland: Hannah Ramsay (Edinburgh Rugby), Rhona Lloyd (Sale Sharks), Meryl Smith (Bristol Bears), Helen Nelson (Trailfinders), Katie Buchanan (Exeter Chiefs); Hannah Ramsay (Edinburgh Rugby), Leah Brebner-Holden (Edinburgh Rugby); (Glasgow Warriors); Anne Young, Aicha Sutcliffe, Elliann Clarke, Holland Bogan (all Glasgow Warriors), Sarah Bonar (Harlequins), Rachel Malcolm (captain) (Trailfinders), Rachel McLachlan (Montpellier), Evie Gallagher (Bristol Bears).

Replacements: Lana Skeldon (Bristol Bears) (for Sutcliffe, 45 mins), Leah Bartlett (Sale Sharks) (for Young, 67 mins), Imogen Spence (Glasgow Warriors) (for Clarke, 74 mins), Hollie Cunningham (Bristol Bears), Eva Donaldson (Sale Sharks) (for McLachlan, 65 mins), Ceitidh Ainsworth (Glasgow Warriors) (for Brebner-Holden, 62 mins), Nicole Flynn (Glasgow Warriors) (for Ramsay, 65 mins), Lucia Scott (Glasgow Warriors) (for Buchanan, 53 mins).

Australia: Faitala Moleka, Maya Stewart, Georgina Friedrichs, Cecilia Smith, Amelia Whitaker; Waiaria Ellis, Samantha Wood; Allana Sikimeti, Tania Naden, Faliki Pohiva, Kaitlin Leaney, Tiarah Minns, Siokapesi Palu Sekona (captain), Emily Chancellor, Piper Duck.

Replacements: Brittany Merlo, Brianna Hoy, Eva Karpani, Michaela Leonard, Pia Tapsell, Lily Bone, Piper Simons, Ella Ryan.

Referee: Maggie Cogger-Orr (NZR)
Assistant Referees: Chloe Sampson and Erin Doherty (both NZR)
TMO: Estelle Whaiapu (NZR)
FPRO: Aaron Paterson (NZR)

Player of the Match: Faitala Moleka