Wallaby wow factor awaits

Having beaten Argentina and Fiji, as well as picking up a bonus point in an attritional loss in South Africa, Scotland sit second in the Northern Hemisphere table, behind France, with three games to go before a Finals weekend at Twickenham at the tail end of November.

In order that they might face one of the world’s best teams at the competition’s end, Scotland will need to keep momentum over the next three weeks, with the Australia clash likely to prove crucial in determining that last fixture.

The Wallabies are something of a team reborn. Under the auspices of wily head coach Les Kiss, who took up the reins in August, Australia have quietly started to build a squad that, as Rugby World Cup hosts in 12 months’ time, could go a long way in a home tournament.

Having dispatched world champions South Africa, the recent loss to New Zealand in the Bledisloe Cup saw them swap world rankings with Scotland to now sit seventh, but don’t be fooled; theirs is a group packed with international quality and unbridled potential.

A backline containing magical talents in the back three of Harry Potter, Max Jorgensen and Tom Wright is complemented by a midfield that is stacked with the likes of Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’I and Lemn Ikitau. Scrum-half Teddy Wilson is the son of former Wallabies skipper David, a Rugby World Cup winner in 1999.

And up front, Kiss can call upon the considerable grunt of props Angus Bell and Allan Alaalatoa, both of whom have represented the Green & Gold on more 60 or more occasions. A hugely dangerous back row contains their captain Harry Wilson as well as the world class Rob Valentini as Australia bid to finish at least third in their own divisional pool.

With a year to go until they host the Rugby World Cup for the third time (1987 co-hosts and 2003), the Wallabies will bring everything in their arsenal to ensure that not only a heady Nations Championship finish is within reach, but that they are primed to succeed as hosts at next year’s big dance down under.

The Wallabies squad for the forthcoming Nations Championship has been confirmed, with head coach Les Kiss including the 95-Test capped Kurtley Beale, who last appeared in the gold jersey against Wales in Cardiff in 2021. (Read more.)

Tickets for Scotland v Australia (Sunday 15 November, kick-off 3:10pm) are still available from this website. Almost 60,000 tickets have been sold for this crunch game so if you’re planning to come to the game, don’t leave it too late!