Though he was disappointed by some of his side’s performance in their 27-13 Autumn Nations Series triumph over Australia, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend complimented the manner his players “found a way to win”.
Much of the discussion in the run-up to this game focused on how Scotland needed to finish the year with a winning result – the kind of encounter they have to win to “be taken seriously,” as Huw Jones said.
After a rather disappointing first forty minutes, Captain Sione Tuipulotu’s try took Scotland in lead at half-time; nevertheless, they improved upon it following the intermission and crossed for three outstanding tries from Duhan van der Merwe, Josh Bayliss, and Finn Russell.
At last, the Scots did what they had to do, turning it on at critical points against a Wallabies side full on confidence following victories against England and Wales.
“There was more in us,” Townsend declared. “We lacked accuracy in the opening half.
“It proves we can win even if our performance is declining. I enjoyed some of the game’s scenes. Although we are superior than some of the elements of today, I am glad the players managed to prevail.
“I’m innerly happy, but if there was a game next week it would be a tough review and there would be a lot of things to improve.”
Although Townsend believed the performance fell short of the standards they achieved in the defeat by South Africa earlier this month, he praised his player’s physical output as it was clear Scotland turned it up a level in the second half.
“The composure we had in defence close to our line was on show.” he remarked. “I felt our fitness as well in the second half; we outworked the defence and that produced chances for us.”
After the autumn they have experienced, Townsend was asked whether he felt his team were ready to start and challenge the 2025 Six Nations.
“The frustrations of the [2024] Six Nations – to be in every game and not come through with more than two wins – shows they were ready back then and I believe experience has made us better,” he said.
“We have to grow once more for the next campaign.”
The presence of his grandmother Jacqueline, who had flown over earlier this week to surprise Sione and his brother Mosese, who featured for Scotland A against Chile on Saturday, gave Tuipulotu, captaining his adopted country against the country of birth extra significance.
Born in Greenock, Jacqueline is the reason both of the Tuipulotu brothers qualify to play for Scotland and hugged her grandson after the Hopetown Cup.
“That was a fantastic moment,” Sione remarked. “You got ’em!” she said as she passed over the cup.
“When we win like that, I’m really glad and the day is all worthwhile. We scored several outstanding tries and will be playing rugby. Although our back three is known to be dangerous, today’s combined effort is what most makes me happy.
“We knew we had to win today, nothing less would be sufficient. We applied that pressure to ourselves and produced.”
