- Wallabies break Scottish hearts with last minute penalty
Greig Laidlaw’s boot kept Scotland in touch throughout the
game as they marched into half time with a point’s lead.
The Wallabies scored five tries in total, including a brace
from Drew Mitchell but it was Scotland who were in front with 90 seconds
remaining after Mark Bennett slid over.
However there was no dream ending for those north of the
border as a last lineout faltered, handing a penalty to Australia which Bernard
Foley slotted to send them through to face Argentina in the semi-finals.
It is heartbreak for the Scots, and Northern Hemisphere
teams as a whole, as all four Rugby Championship sides make it through to the
semi-finals of the World Cup.
Australia immediately took up residence in Scotland’s 22 and
should have had a try inside five minutes but Foley’s offload somehow evaded
the giant hands of Kane Douglas.
Not to be deterred however, Australia got their try through
Adam Ashley-Cooper after Tevita Kurindrani bulldozed his way through two
tackles. Foley failed with the conversion attempt.
However Scotland hit back immediately, first through the
boot of Laidlaw, and then Peter Horne touched down to bring the score to 10-5.
Horne took up the role of scrum-half and the Australian
defence fell asleep at the ruck and he picked up and strolled over the
whitewash.
Australia looked shell-shocked and were visibly rattled and
knocked on from the restart, allowing Laidlaw to move the Scots even further
ahead.
They eventually managed to regroup and the green and gold
hit back with their second try of the afternoon through Mitchell as Australia
went through the hands, allowing the winger to touch down in the corner.
Foley was having problems from the tee as he again missed
with the conversion attempt, something Laidlaw was not troubled with as he slotted
another penalty to increase the deficit to six points.
Michael Hooper, recalled to the side after his one-week
suspension, got the Wallabies’ third try of the game just before the break,
finishing under a sea of bodies after a powerful driving maul from the Aussie
pack.
Foley’s nightmare with the boot continued though, meaning
Scotland went into the dressing room at half time with the narrowest of
advantages at 16-15.
A minute into the second half Scotland were handed a setback
as winger Sean Maitland headed for the sinbin for a deliberate knock-on.
And the Wallabies took immediate advantage with Maitland’s
opposite number Mitchell crossing in the corner for his second with Foley
finally managing to add the extras.
Scotland still stayed in touch through Laidlaw’s boot and
Australia saw Ashley-Cooper’s second try ruled out after the TMO spotted a
handling error by Will Genia earlier in the move.
Foley seemed to have put his first-half kicking troubles
behind him, kicking a long-range penalty just as Maitland returned to the
field.
But there was still life in the Scots as Finn Russell
charged down Foley’s clearance down the blindside before offloading to Tommy
Seymour to bring the scores to within a point as Laidlaw failed with the
extras.
The scoring did not stop there as the relentless attacking
from both teams continued when Kurindrani powered over for the Wallabies with
Foley obliging with the conversion.
Captain Laidlaw added another three points from the tee and,
as the rain pounded the Twickenham turf, Bennett intercepted a loose Wallaby
pass to finish under the posts and give Scotland the lead with only five
minutes remaining.
But agonisingly it was not to be for the Scots as a knock-on
at the line-out handed Foley the chance to steal the game away by a single
point and send Vern Cotter’s men home.
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