Scotland 15-12 Australia | Match report and player comparison
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The Scottish fans will be very happy tomorrow morning after their team beat Australia 15-12 in the Nations Championship
Match overview
- First half: Matt Fagerson scored from close range in the 8th minute, though Finn Russell hit the post with the conversion. Harry Potter replied for Australia in the 11th minute after a break by Fraser McReight. Ryan Lonergan missed that conversion and a later drop goal. Jack Dempsey scored in the 27th minute and Russell converted, making it 12-5.
- Second half: Billy Pollard was yellow-carded in the 43rd minute, but Scotland added only a Russell penalty in the 74th minute. Australia pulled one back when Max Jorgensen scored in the 79th minute after a break by Jeremy Williams, and Ben Donaldson converted. Scotland won by three points.
Team stats
| Scotland | Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession / territory | 52% / 56% | 48% / 44% |
| Carry metres | 276 | 317 |
| Clean breaks | 2 | 6 |
| Defenders beaten | 20 | 15 |
| Tackle success | 86% (15 missed) | 84% (21 missed) |
| Turnovers conceded | 11 | 16 |
| Penalties conceded | 8 | 8 |
Former Wallaby Jack Dempsey finds the line for Scotland πͺ β³ Nations Championship. Live & Exclusive on Stan Sport. #StanSportAU #NationsChampionship https://t.co/u8wv9uqTO0
— Stan Sport Rugby (@StanSportRugby) November 15, 2026
Player comparisons
Openside flanker: Rory Darge (SCO) vs Fraser McReight (AUS), both 80 min
| Darge | McReight | |
|---|---|---|
| Carries / metres | 9 / 3 | 7 / 11 |
| Gainline carries | 1 | 4 |
| Defenders beaten / offloads | 1 / 1 | 1 / 0 |
| Try assists | 0 | 1 (Potter) |
| Tackles made / attempted | 17 / 17 | 26 / 26 |
| Dominant tackles | 1 | 2 |
| Turnovers won | 2 | 2 |
| Rucks won | 8 | 6 |
| Penalties conceded | 0 | 0 |
Edge: McReight. He was more dangerous in attack, with a clean break and the assist for Potter’s try, and he made the most tackles in the match without a miss. Darge was also perfect in defence and the busier ruck presence, and he won a penalty over the ball, but he made little ground with the ball.
Scrum-half: Ben White (SCO) vs Ryan Lonergan (AUS)
| White (50 min) | Lonergan (75 min) | |
|---|---|---|
| Passes | 59 | 68 |
| Kicks / metres | 9 / 220 | 14 / 334 |
| Carries / metres | 2 / 0 | 4 / 17 |
| Try assist / line-break assists | 1 / 2 | 0 / 1 |
| Tackles made | 1 of 3 | 12 of 15 |
| Turnovers won | 0 | 2 |
| Missed kicks at goal | none | missed conversion and drop goal |
Edge: White in attack, Lonergan in defence. White’s distribution was more incisive. He set up Fagerson’s try and two line breaks in 50 minutes. Lonergan was heavily involved and tackled well for a nine, but his kicking cost Australia points, with a missed conversion and a missed drop goal in a three-point loss.
Fullback: Blair Kinghorn (SCO) vs Tom Wright (AUS), both 80 min
| Kinghorn | Wright | |
|---|---|---|
| Carries / metres | 14 / 47 | 8 / 32 |
| Gainline carries | 5 | 4 |
| Defenders beaten | 5 | 1 |
| Offloads | 2 | 0 |
| Kicks / metres | 5 / 168 | 4 / 145 |
| Handling errors / turnovers conceded | 1 / 2 | 0 / 1 |
| Tackles | 4 of 4 | 0 |
| Dominant tackles / turnovers won | 1 / 1 | 0 / 0 |
| Line-break assists | 0 | 1 |
Edge: Kinghorn. He was Scotland’s most threatening runner, making 47 metres, beating five defenders and offloading twice. He also made his tackles and won a turnover. Wright was cleaner on the ball, with no handling errors, and set up a line break, but he had no defensive involvement.
Overall
Scotland’s back row and half-backs held up better in defence and territory, while Australia had more attacking threat (McReight, Jorgensen and Suaalii) but lost it through turnovers and goal-kicking. Kinghorn was the most influential back on the pitch.
Scotland welcomes Japan next weekend while Australia takes on Wales.
