Scotland v Australia - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: The Wallabies will be out to restore some pride in their jersey when they take on Scotland in Round Five of the Nations Championship on Sunday.

Les Kiss’ side has suffered three straight defeats since beating the Springboks in September, most recently a 22-45 loss to England in London last weekend.

“We want to do the jersey proud, and we’re sort of in a slump at the moment as a team, and I think that’s even more motivation to want to go out there and put out a good performance as a team,” loose forward Rob Valetini said to reporters.

“That’s something we’ve been working towards throughout this whole week. All the boys are hurting from the week that’s just gone.

“We’ve had a hard look at ourselves and [are] hoping to transfer what we’ve done at the training field to the field.”

The preview continues below…

It’s going to be another mammoth task for the Wallabies as they have lost four of their last five encounters against Scotland.

“This week I think we really want to go out there and lead with our actions as well, not just saying things and not being able to do them,” Valetini added.

“This week I think we just want to lead by our actions and make sure what we’re saying is what we’re putting out onto the field. I think that will probably be our mentality this week. I think if we play our game the way we want to and how we’ve trained, we’ll put in a good performance we can be proud of.

“We’re hoping and prepared this week to do that. I’m looking forward to Sunday, and I think a lot of the boys are really keen as well to rip in and forget about the weekend and go on.”

Meanwhile, the aerial game could be crucial for Scotland, especially with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the Wallabies’ backline. To make things even more interesting, there’s a 90 percent chance of heavy rain hitting Murrayfield.

“I just messaged our analyst and said, ‘Has it changed?’ And he went, ‘Yeah, I think it’s even worse’,” Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend quipped when asked about the forecast.

“Look, if it’s going to be wet, I think both teams who like to move the ball realise defence is going to be very important, your decision-making around the use of possession is going to be important, but you’ve got to play physical rugby, you’ve got to be very good in the transitions if there’s more kicking, so we’ll adapt.”

Players to watch

For Scotland: Wing Darcy Graham is a try-scoring machine, and his combination with fellow wing Kyle Steyn and fullback Blair Kinghorn could make the Wallabies run in circles if they get the platform to impose themselves out wide. Scotland will also have an advantage in the flyhalf category with Finn Russell being one of the best in the business. In the pack, the second row of Scott Cummings and Gregor Brown packs a punch, and they will make Australia work even harder in the engine room.

For Australia: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii returns to the No.13 jersey in the midfield, which is his best position, and his battle with Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu is a mouthwatering one. The Wallabies have struggled in the flyhalf position in the last few seasons, and it’s Carter Gordon’s turn to show his worth at Murrayfield. Flanker Fraser McReight has been voted Australia’s best player for the year, and his work on the ground and in the physical exchanges could be vital.

Prediction

Rugby365: Scotland by nine points.

Teams:

Scotland: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (captain), 11 Darcy Graham, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Gregor Brown, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Rory Sutherland.
Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Tom Jordan.

Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Ryan Lonergan, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Lachlan Shaw, 20 Tom Hooper, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Filipo Daugunu

Date: Sunday, November 15
Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 15.10 UK & IRE (15.10 GMT; 02.10 AEDT Monday, November 16)
Expected weather: It will be chilly with rain and strong wind gusts.
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand), Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (England)

Additional reporting by Rugby.com.au & @RugbyPass