By Australia piled on the misery for Scotland in Sydney on Saturday, running in eight tries to condemn the visitors to an eighth straight defeat in their WXV Global Series clash. It was a chastening afternoon for the Scots, who briefly dreamed of revenge before the Wallaroos took complete control.
Australia on the attack against Scotland in Sydney (Credits: BBC Sport)
Under caretaker head coach Dave Butcher, Scotland actually started brightly. Katie Buchanan, making her first international start, collected the ball on the wing, beat a defender and sprinted over the line to give the visitors a fifth-minute lead.
The joy was short-lived. Australia responded with five tries by half-time, with hooker Brittany Merlo drawing the hosts level in the 17th minute and wing Maya Stewart adding another six minutes later, both converted by Samantha Wood.
The Sin-Bin That Broke Scotland
The turning point came when centre Meryl Smith was sent to the sin-bin. With Scotland down to 14, Australia cut loose — Desiree Miller, Amelia Whitaker and Ellis all crossed to give the hosts a commanding 35-5 lead at the break.
Miller grabbed her second just two minutes after the restart, before Scotland finally replied through captain Rachel Malcolm, with Helen Nelson adding the conversion. The Scots held out for nearly 20 more minutes, but Whitaker broke clear for her second with 15 minutes left, and Eva Karpani completed the scoring in the closing seconds — moments after Scotland lost second row Eva Donaldson to a yellow card.
Eighth Defeat and Counting
It is now eight straight defeats for Scotland — four of them in the new competition, having also lost to Canada, New Zealand and the Aussies in their home ties. Australia, meanwhile, have two victories, both against the Scots, after defeats to England and France.
The Scots were also dealt a blow before kick-off, losing Sarah Bonar to illness and replacing the Harlequins lock with Bristol Bears’ Hollie Cunningham. The search for a turnaround continues.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
