The Wallabies head to Murrayfield on Sunday morning (1:30am AEDT) to round off their Spring Tour against Scotland.
The match serves as Stephen Moore’s farewell from the international arena, while it’s also a chance to finish the year on a high after the disappointing result against England.
Speaking of which, the 30-6 loss at Twickenham was a rude awakening for Michael Cheika’s men, who will be desperate to bounce back quickly.
Scotland will provide a stern test, however, having kept pace with the All Blacks last week, ultimately going down 17-22.
Cheika has opted to start Moore for his final outing in gold at the expense of the impressive Tatafu Polota-Nau. The only other starting change is Ben McCalman at 6 in place of the injured Ned Hanigan.
The big news for Australia is the inclusion of Taniela Tupou on the bench. The 21-year-old is set for his debut after fulfilling the three-year residency requirement.
Sidenote: can someone please take this opportunity to come up with a better nickname than the painfully overused ‘Tongan Thor’ moniker?
Tetera Faulkner is also among the subs. Even more heartening for Aussies fans is the return of Lukhan Tui who has recovered from a hamstring injury. Blake Enever retains his starting spot.
For Scotland, coach Gregor Townsend makes four changes to the team that faced New Zealand. Up front, Simon Berghan, Grant Gilchrist, and Ryan Wilson join the pack, relegating Zander Fagerson, Ben Toolis, and Cornell du Preez respectively to the bench.
Former Crusader Sean Maitland starts on the wing. Meanwhile, the home side are still without their talismanic skipper Greg Laidlaw due to a broken leg.
Wallabies
1. Scott Sio 2. Stephen Moore 3. Sekope Kepu 4. Rob Simmons 5. Blake Enever 6. Ben McCalman 7. Michael Hooper 8. Sean McMahon 9. Will Genia 10. Bernard Foley 11. Reece Hodge 12. Samu Kerevi 13. Tevita Kuridrani 14. Marika Koroibete 15. Kurtley Beale.Subs: 16. Tatafu Polota-Nau 17. Tetera Faulkner 18. Taniela Tupou 19. Lukhan Tui 20. Lopeti Timani 21. Nick Phipps 22. Karmichael Hunt 23. Henry Speight.
Scotland
1. Darryl Marfo 2. Stuart McInally 3. Simon Berghan 4. Grant Gilchrist 5. Jonny Gray 6. John Barclay (c) 7. Hamish Watson 8. Ryan Wilson 9. Ali Price 10. Finn Russell 11. Sean Maitland 12. Alex Dunbar 13. Huw Jones 14. Tommy Seymour 15. Stuart Hogg.Subs: 16. Fraser Brown 17. Jamie Bhatti 18. Zander Fagerson 19. Ben Toolis 20. Cornell Du Preez 21. Henry Pyrgos 22. Pete Horne 23. Byron McGuigan.
It’s been an up and down year for the Scots. They’ve beaten Ireland, Wales, and Australia. But they lost to Fiji, got dominated by England, and only just snuck past Samoa a few weeks ago.
While Scotland’s form might be hard to read, what’s clear is that they’ve been more than a handful for the Wallabies in recent times, including their 24-19 triumph in June.
The selection of Moore is an interesting one. It’s a show of sentimentality that one wouldn’t normally expect from Cheika. Of course, he’d probably tell you it’s on merit, but Polota-Nau has been one of the tour’s stronger performers. If anything it might shore up the lineout, while sacrificing stability at scrum time.
We know Scotland have enough weapons to hurt the Wallabies, so nothing should come as a surprise. As always, the set piece, discipline, and backline cohesion are the areas of concern for Australia. Take care of those, and the result should take care of itself. Should.
Wallabies to win by 6.
Jock Cornet
Guest
Boy how good is Folau. KB can't tackle or catch a bomb but is our greatest backline player . Wtf
Harry
Guest
A fair dinkum thrashing for Michael Cheika's Wallabies. Thought the injury drain - particularly at 4 and 5 - was today very noticeable. Only really Sean McMahon and possibly Scott Sio and Kurindrani who can hold their head up after that. Massive amounts of dropped ball, inept attack and disorganised defence. Congratulations to the Scots who seem to be building to be a real force, thought they too made a lot of mistakes in the first 40 minutes. We have 4 months to analyse and conject about the way forward for the Wallabies but what is paramount is next year the best team must be selected. No protected and favoured sons eg. Hooper, Foley, Beale. Cheika needs a selection panel and oversight.
Gormon Kinchley
Guest
Good call. I was at the match, the whole game felt like it was being played in advantage. Hopefully this will be some sort of sea change from Australia's point of view, because that wasn't great.
Jock Cornet
Guest
That was predictable. MOM BEALE
Harry Jones
Expert
Great contest, this. Scotland is the hardest NH team to boo. Love their fire, crowd, jerseys, and attitude. But ... Come on Da Wallaby (Chook).
Harry Jones
Expert
Huw Jones isn't bad, either.
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
From a neutral perspective, this matchup is always a highlight. Anything less than a Test that goes all the way down the wire would be disappointing. The big question mark for me is if Scotland can turn it on like they did last week. A lot of the Scotland players are far from first or second choice. Can they really deliver? Wallabies to win with a couple of points.
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
You are so right Fionn. And what a beautiful backline it would be. With Russell and Hogg the Wallabies would, without a doubt, have the strongest attack in rugby.
Gishan De Soyza
Roar Pro
It's a shame Hogg wasn't nominated for the WPY award.
Peter
Guest
Here's a thought. How about "Tupou"? Fair chance he'd respond to it as well.
Sluggy
Roar Guru
It's 3 degrees in Edinburgh and it's been raining. Scotland by 3
riddler
Guest
oz to finish the season with a blast.. we win by 18!! c'mon the green and gold!!
Mango Jack
Roar Guru
Titanium
Connor33
Guest
This going to,be really close game. Too hard to say.
double agent
Guest
Will the officials play a part? When don't they?
waxhead
Guest
Forever the optimist Charlie :) After last weekend's form Scotland start as favourites imo. Another crap team picked by Cheika imo - not nearly Aust best again. Moore picked on sentiment alone. Simmons, Kerevi, Phipps continue to be poor and McMahon too small for a No 8. Only bright spot is no Hanigan.
AssumedTooMuch
Guest
Really looking forward too watching this game. I'm picking Scotland to win and make a statement about their arrival as force in international rugby I'm also expecting that the players (on both sides) are going to push the limits and put the referee/TMO in positions where they are going to have to make some tough/controversial calls.
bennalong
Guest
Can't pick this one but couldn't pick England either. Will the officials play a part? Don't care about nicknames, especially if they're made up by the press. I'd like to see Tupou at eight. He should be encouraged to run. He's bloody quick, has good hands, and his low centre of gravity makes him a monster to stop. Looking forward to his debut alongside his mate Lukhan. Both a bit raw........ but I love raw!
Fionn
Guest
Russell and Hogg are both electric. Would both walk into the Wallabies with no problem. Containing them will go a long way towards winning the match.
Machpants
Roar Guru
That's the League team's name right? Awful. I can't pick this result tho, hopefully a good match.