WXV Global Report | Australia 56-12 Scotland

The Wallaroos won their second game in a row at WXV Global Series 2026, sealing a 56-12 win over Scotland in a fixture the hosts controlled from early on.

The Australians reached half-time with a 35-5 lead in a match that actually saw Scotland score first when Katie Buchanan put on the afterburners and evaded a few tacklers before diving in the corner. 

They held that five-point lead until the end of the first quarter, when Australia drew level through Brittany Merlo, the hooker wrestling her way through the opposition to strike from close range. Samantha Wood slotted in the first of six conversions.

From then on until the break, the Wallaroos were relentless, tearing through the Scottish defence with tries from Desiree Miller, Amelia Whitaker and Waiaria Ellis. Australia's physicality and ability to keep the ball alive and speed it in the right moments overwhelmed the opposition. 

The second half opened with another home team finish, again by Desiree Miller, who delivered one of the afternoon's best performances. After a rough 50 minutes, Scotland finally saw a glimmer of hope as they scored their second try through Rachel Malcolm.

Milly’s first try in Gold ✨ https://t.co/WSyAo7Nyor

— Wallaroos (@WallaroosRugby) October 17, 2026

Unfortunately for the visitors, they conceded another five-pointer following an interception by Amelia Whitaker, who outsprinted everyone to slide through the posts, making it easy for Faitala Moleka to convert her first kick of the day. 

Scotland eventually stemmed the scoring, holding firm until almost the very last minute. Down to 14 after Eva Donaldson was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle, Australia strung together a couple of phases before Eva Karpani mauled her way to the try line to score in her 49th appearance for the Wallaroos.

With Moleka successfully nailing the extras, Australia bagged their largest winning margin over Scotland, kick-starting the series in great fashion.