Scotland actually pulled ahead 10-5 at the break at Hive Stadium, but then Australia absolutely exploded in the second half, slamming home three tries in a devastating eight-minute stretch to secure a dominant 30-10 victory in Edinburgh. It was a brutal turnaround, especially after Scotland showed so much promise early on.
Scotland Thought They Had This One, Then The Wallaroos Woke Up
Coming off tough losses to Canada and New Zealand, who are ranked two and three in the world, the Scots had high hopes they could finally get on the board against a Wallaroos side ranked just one spot below them. And for a while, it looked like they might! Evie Gallagher, who was on fire last weekend with two tries against New Zealand, gave Scotland the lead just 15 minutes in, finishing off some serious pressure on the Australian line. The hosts were totally on top, with Meryl Smith in the midfield and Holland Bogan carrying the ball hard, really testing that Australian defense. But some sloppy work at the line-out cost Dave Butcher’s squad a few real golden attacking positions. You just can’t make those kinds of mistakes against a good team. As the half wore on, Australia started to find their rhythm, eventually hitting back with a well-executed try. Scotland initially shut down a rolling line-out maul, but the Wallaroos stayed patient, spun the ball wide, and Georgina Friedrichs got Desiree Miller over in the corner. The Scots, to their credit, hit back instantly when Australia got penalized for holding on right from the restart, and Helen Nelson nailed a penalty to give her side that five-point lead heading into halftime.
Then Australia Unleashed Hell, And Scotland Just Melted Down
Whatever Australia’s coach said at halftime, it worked. They came flying out of the blocks after the interval and flipped the entire game on its head with three quick-fire tries. First, a rolling line-out maul was stopped short, but scrum-half Samantha Wood was right there to dive over. She converted her own try to put the visitors in front for the first time, and it was a double whammy for Scotland: Gallagher got sent to the sin-bin for illegally bringing down that initial maul. With the numbers advantage, the Wallaroos went absolutely wild! Brianna Hoy and then Faitala Moleko just sliced through the defense to score, putting Australia firmly in charge at 24-10. Wood then knocked over a penalty to push Australia comfortably beyond two scores, and she added another one late in the game, capping off a totally dominant second half from the Wallaroos. Scotland just couldn’t hang.
So, Scotland suffered a third straight defeat in the WXV Global Series. That’s gotta sting, especially after leading at the half. They’re going to get another crack at Australia next weekend, but this time it’s in Sydney. Can they bounce back and learn from that brutal eight-minute collapse? They’ve got a lot to figure out before that rematch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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