Scotland vs Australia LIVE rugby: Result and final score as Blair Kinghorn misses game-winning penalty

Follow live updates as Scotland take on Australia in the opening weekend of the Autumn Nations Series at Murrayfield. Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend’s decision to drop fly-half Finn Russell has been the big talking points ahead of the Tests against the Wallabies, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina, while Jamie Ritchie takes over the captaincy from Stuart Hogg.

Scotland had a disappointing Six Nations campaign but they have an impressive record against Australia in recent times. The Scots have won their last three matches against the Wallabies, including last year’s 15-13 victory at Murrayfield, but Australia remain a work in progress under Dave Rennie and had some encouraging performances in this year’s Rugby Championship.

The visitors, who also play England and Wales in the Autumn Nations Series, welcome back Michael Hooper to the side but Scotland are without the likes of Hogg, Adam Hastings and Chris Harris as the match falls outside the international window. Follow live updates as Scotland meet Australia for the Hopetoun Cup.

Scotland vs Australia LIVE: Latest Autumn Nations Series updates

• TRY! Magic from Ollie Smith as Scotland score against the run of play (5-0)

• HALF-TIME! Foley kicks Australia back into it at Murrayfield (5-6)

• TRY! Kinghorn dribbes downfield to score Scotland’s second (12-6)

• YELLOW CARD! Young sent to the bin for catching McDermott’s head (15-6)

• TRY! Australia strike against 14-men as Slipper converts (15-13)

• PENALTY! Foley kicks Australia ahead as Scotland errors mount (15-16)

• MISSED PENALTY! Kinghorn drags wide with final kick of the match (15-16)

FULL-TIME: Scotland 15-16 Australia

19:19 , Jamie Braidwood

That is gut-wrenching for Scotland, while Australia get away with it as they end their three-match losing run against the Scots.

FULL-TIME: Scotland 15-16 Australia

19:16 , Jamie Braidwood

And that’s it! What a dramatic ending - Kinghorn has his head in his hands and Scotland have seen a win slip through their fingers.

MISSED PENALTY! Scotland 15-16 Australia

19:15 , Jamie Braidwood

I can’t believe it! Kinghorn has pulled it wide!

Scotland 15-16 Australia

19:15 , Jamie Braidwood

78 mins: That gets Scotland downfield, and it’s followed by a penalty! It’s on Australia’s Taniela Tupou for not releasing, and was needless. Scotland play on with the advantage but it comes back when Ritchie throws forward. Kinghorn will kick for the posts, most probably for the win!

Scotland 15-16 Australia

19:12 , Jamie Braidwood

76 mins; Scotland make a key turnover and look to turn defence in attack as Kinghorn carries. He looked to beat a man and then pass wide to Van der Merwe, but it is knocked on by Hunter Paisami. It’s being checked for a yellow card, but there was cover behind. Scotland still get the penalty.

Scotland 15-16 Australia

19:07 , Jamie Braidwood

73 mins: Scotland are able to get back on the ball as Darcy Graham gets a rare touch, trying to bring it out from the backline. Australia look comfortable though and recover possession after Scotland clear.

PENALTY! Scotland 15-16 Australia (Foley 71’)

19:03 , Jamie Braidwood

Foley kicks Australia ahead once more, and Scotland can only have themselves to blame. Ten minutes to go to put things right.

Scotland 15-13 Australia

19:02 , Jamie Braidwood

67 mins: More frustration for Scotland, after Kinghorn sets up another lineout in the corner. Scotland again turn the ball over with an error, which is compounded as Scotland concede the penalty that will allow Australia to kick for touch.

Oh... things then go from bad to worse as Van der Merwe loses track of the ball and leaves it, when it wasn’t even going out of play. The lineout is followed by another penalty from the Australian maul.

The errors and penalties are adding up for Scotland.

Scotland 15-13 Australia

18:59 , Jamie Braidwood

65 mins: Scotland respond well. A Kinghorn kick is nudged out of play by Australia, giving Scotland a chance from the lineout. But the set-piece is sloppy and Scotland’s can’t take advantage. Kinghorn then had a chance on the outside but his pass was overthrown.

Scotland 15-13 Australia

18:56 , Jamie Braidwood

Foley adds the conversion. Meanwhile, Jack Dempsey, who won 14 caps for Australia, is on for his Scotland debut.

TRY! Scotland 15-11 Australia (SLIPPER 61’)

18:53 , Jamie Braidwood

It had been coming but Australia score. Scotland’s defence is finally breached as Australia maintain the pressure on the line, but it was the added zip between the backs that made the difference. It is worked to Slipper, who crosses for his second international try.

Scotland 15-6 Australia

18:52 , Jamie Braidwood

59 mins: Australia also have the penalty and have the man advantage from the lineout. They are increasing the pressure and get the penalty advantage. Van der Merwe has to get back to beat Kellaway to the ball behind the tryline.

Scotland 15-6 Australia

18:48 , Jamie Braidwood

60 mins: This will be a yellow card, but it could have been red there. It would have been red if he had caught McDermott’s head with his shoulder.

Scotland 15-6 Australia

18:47 , Jamie Braidwood

56 mins: Scotland are in trouble here, though. Glen Young has caught Tate McDermott’s head in the clear out.

Scotland 15-6 Australia

18:46 , Jamie Braidwood

55 mins: What a chance for Scotland! It’s brilliant from Duhan van der Merwe to pluck the ball from the sky, and the Scotland winger then turns and drives down the line. Bernard Foley comes over and is able to slow Van der Merwe down, but takes a huge hit. Price keeps up Scotland’s momentum but Gilchrist spills five metres out!

PENALTY! Scotland 15-6 Australia (KINGHORN 53’)

18:42 , Jamie Braidwood

There you go. Sensible from Kinghorn to go for the posts and Scotland’s lead is nine.

Scotland 12-6 Australia

18:41 , Jamie Braidwood

53 mins: It’s all quite scrappy. Scotland aren’t able to gather momentum form the lineout but they settle for the penalty, conceded by Australia in the maul. Kinghorn will kick to increase Scotland’s lead.

Scotland 12-6 Australia

18:40 , Jamie Braidwood

50 mins: Scotland are held up by Australia following the lineout, and the Wallabies are able to clear following the scrum. However Scotland then win it back, as Australia throw long. Scotland had space out wide but they are held up again, and they have to settle for the lineout five metres out, on the opposite side.

Scotland 12-6 Australia

18:37 , Jamie Braidwood

48 mins: Australia lose it immediately with a penalty of their own, giving Kinghorn the chance to kick for touch from the half-way line. He lands the kick perfectly, the ball arcing superbly into the corner. Scotland have the lineout five metres out...

Scotland 12-6 Australia

18:35 , Jamie Braidwood

46 mins: That’s just what Scotland needed, but Gregor Townsend’s side will still want possession, too. However substitute Taniela Tupou wins the turnover.

Scotland 12-6 Australia

18:32 , Jamie Braidwood

44 mins: And Kinghorn adds the conversion.

TRY! Scotland 10-6 Australia (KINGHORN 43’)

18:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Sensational from Blair Kinghorn! This is an incredible score. From the Australia scrum, Foley fumbles and it drops to Kinghorn - who boots downfield. The Scotland fly-half then takes off, cranking through the gears and those long legs carry him to the ball, which he then kicks on again. It looks more like a football dribble but the ball sits up perfectly at the line, as he touches down. Brilliant.

Scotland 5-6 Australia

18:28 , Jamie Braidwood

We’re back underway at Murrayfield, but Schoeman knocks-on early and Australia have the scrum.

HALF TIME: Scotland 5-6 Australia

18:25 , Jamie Braidwood

Here’s the magic moment from that first half.

HALF TIME: Scotland 5-6 Australia

18:18 , Jamie Braidwood

Scotland’s attack has looked more dangerous than Australia’s - it’s just they haven’t seen much of the ball. Meanwhile, they’ve looked fairly comfortable absorbing Australia’s attack. However Scotland will want more of the ball in the second half, and there will frustration too that they couldn’t take their chances when they came.

HALF TIME: Scotland 5-6 Australia

18:14 , Jamie Braidwood

PENALTY! Scotland 5-6 Australia (Foley 40’)

18:14 , Jamie Braidwood

Foley converts the penalty and Australia have the lead that their overall play has merited, certainly in terms of possession and territory.

Scotland 5-3 Australia

18:13 , Jamie Braidwood

39 mins: Can Scotland get to half time with this lead? They concede a penalty midway through the Scotland half, for Dave Cherry not rolling away. There’s some afters between Fagerson and the Wallabies, but it still means Foley has the chance to kick for the posts at the end of the half.

Scotland 5-3 Australia

18:09 , Jamie Braidwood

37 mins: Rinse and repeat. Australia charge forward through Allan Alaalatoa, rolling off the maul, but Scotland’s defence stands up once more and Price senses the chance to steal in to steal the ball.

Scotland 5-3 Australia

18:07 , Jamie Braidwood

35 mins: Scotland can’t clear for long and Kellaway chips behind the Scotland line. Smith slides back to mop up, but Australia will come again from the lineout as Price’s kick did not go far.

Scotland 5-3 Australia

18:06 , Jamie Braidwood

32 mins: Australia return to the Scotland 22 for the fifth time, now with a lineout close to the corner. Australia’s maul looks to be driving to the line but Scotland concede the penalty to stop their momentum. Australia then come again, working it wide to the opposite flank.

But again Scotland find the turnover and can clear for now.

Scotland 5-3 Australia

18:03 , Jamie Braidwood

30 mins: Oh now, I don’t think I’ve seen this before. Pierre Schoeman looked set to collide with opposite prop James Slipper, but then decides to leap over him. It’s an interesting look for a prop but you can’t do that, and Australia win the penalty. More frustration for Scotland as the Wallabies are able to clear.

Scotland 5-3 Australia

17:59 , Jamie Braidwood

28 mins: Scotland work through the phases but Australia hold firm at the line, and the ball is eventually held up! Scotland unable to get the breakthrough. Opportunity missed.

Scotland 5-3 Australia

17:58 , Jamie Braidwood

26 mins: Scotland work the ball well from the lineout and Schoeman leads the drive towards the line. Scotland get the penalty advantage and Kinghorn spots Tuipulotu in space on the wing. He looked set to score but spills!

Scotland still in a promising position, though...

Scotland 5-3 Australia

17:56 , Jamie Braidwood

24 mins: There are roars around Murrayfield as Scotland again halt Australia’s attack in the 22, following a break from Valetini, before Price launches a lovely kick down field. Foley does brilliantly to keep the ball in play but Scotland gain the territory and win a penalty in the Australia half... Kinghorn kicks for the corner.

Scotland 5-3 Australia

17:53 , Jamie Braidwood

21 mins: Australia work their way downfield following a couple of lineouts but Scotland do what they’ve been doing well so far, which is turning it over inside their own 22. The counter looked on for a moment but Price clears with the box-kick.

Scotland 5-3 Australia

17:50 , Jamie Braidwood

17 mins: Australia were the better side before Scotland’s first try and they taken up from where they left off after Foley’s penalty. They are looking far more fluid in possession, even as the play gets stuck in midfield in this quiet spell.

PENALTY! Scotland 5-3 Australia (Foley 16’)

17:47 , Jamie Braidwood

Australia then get themselves on the scoreboard as Bernard Foley kicks over from around 40 yards. That was sloppy from Scotland to give away a cheap penalty so soon after scoring.

TRY! Scotland 5-0 Australia (Smith 15’)

17:42 , Jamie Braidwood

WOW - what a moment for Ollie Smith! Scotland lead against the run of play and it’s a stunning try. Sione Tuipulotu made the first break before Blair Kinghorn set up Smith with the delayed pass that created a gap in the Australia defence. And what a finish it was from the full-back, diving inside and then away from two Australia tackles before touching down.

Kinghorn is unable to add the conversion.

Scotland 0-0 Australia

17:42 , Jamie Braidwood

9 mins: Tate McDermott is making his first Test start in over a year but has started brightly here, again quickening Australia’s play. The Wallabies looked threatening but Scotland were again able to slow them down, just about.

Scotland 0-0 Australia

17:39 , Jamie Braidwood

7 mins: Australia won the penalty at the scrum and restarted play immediately, quickly marching their way down into the Scotland half. It was worked out wide and Holloway and Hooper took Australia to five metres, but Scotland recovered and the defence did well to win the turnover.

Scotland 0-0 Australia

17:37 , Jamie Braidwood

5 mins: Scotland kicked for touch following the penalty but their play broke down at the lineout. Australia will have the first scrum of the match.

Scotland 0-0 Australia

17:35 , Jamie Braidwood

3 mins: Brilliant break! Tate McDermott cuts inside from scrum-half, but his chip and charge runs long and Scotland are able to recover. McDermott was blocked by the referee doesn’t give anything. Scotland are then able to win a turnover inside the 22, with Ritchie involved.

Fast start.

Scotland 0-0 Australia

17:33 , Jamie Braidwood

2 mins: The Australia winger Kellaway almost makes a break down the right wing with a kick and chase down the line, but Scotland are able to clear up and keep possession.

Scotland vs Australia

17:31 , Jamie Braidwood

Kick-off! Blair Kinghorn gets us underway.

Scotland vs Australia

17:30 , Jamie Braidwood

What a moment for Jamie Ritchie as he leads out Scotland as captain for the first time at Murrayfield. It’s followed by the anthems and we are set to go on a crisp autumn evening in Edinburgh!

‘It means a lot’: New Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie pleased to get Stuart Hogg’s support

17:21 , Jamie Braidwood

New Scotland skipper Jamie Ritchie admits it “means a lot” to have the backing of predecessor Stuart Hogg as he prepares to begin his captaincy against Australia this weekend.

The 26-year-old Edinburgh flanker was appointed to the leadership role last week after head coach Gregor Townsend chose to relieve the “burden” from Hogg in an effort to help the Exeter full-back rediscover top form on the international stage.

After the change of captaincy was announced, Hogg – who is unavailable for the Australia game as it falls outside the international window – posted a congratulatory message to Ritchie on Instagram declaring that, despite his own “disappointment”, his successor would have his “full support”.

“It means a lot,” Ritchie said when asked about Hogg’s endorsement. “I have a huge amount of respect for Hoggy as a man and a rugby player and it’s been a privilege to support him over the last three years as part of his leadership group.

“He was one of the first guys to congratulate me. Gregor told him I was going to be captain before he told me. When Gregor told me, Hoggy sent me a nice message saying that he backed me and stuff like that, and that meant a lot.”

New Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie pleased to get Stuart Hogg’s support

Scotland vs Australia: Starting line-ups

17:14 , Jamie Braidwood

Scotland: 15. Ollie Smith, 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Mark Bennett, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Duhan van der Merwe, 10. Blair Kinghorn, 9. Ali Price; 8. Matt Fagerson, 7. Hamish Watson, 6. Jamie Ritchie (captain), 5. Grant Gilchrist, 4. Sam Skinner, 3. Zander Fagerson, 2. Dave Cherry, 1. Pierre Schoeman.

Reserves: 16. George Turner, 17. Jamie Bhatti, 18. WP Nel, 19. Glen Young, 20. Jack Dempsey, 21. George Horne, 22. Ross Thompson, 23. Damien Hoyland.

Australia: 15. Tom Banks, 14. Andrew Kellaway, 13. Len Ikitau, 12. Hunter Paisami, 11. Tom Wright, 10. Bernard Foley, 9. Tate McDermott; 8. Rob Valetini, 7. Michael Hooper, 6. Jed Holloway, 5. Cadeyrn Neville, 4. Nick Frost, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. David Porecki, 1. James Slipper (captain).

Reserves: 16. Folau Fainga’a, 17. Matt Gibbon, 18. Taniela Tupou, 19. Ned Hanigan, 20. Pete Samu, 21. Nic White, 22. Noah Lolesio, 23. Jock Campbell.

Gareth Thomas explains why Scotland were right to drop Finn Russell

17:07 , Jamie Braidwood

Gareth Thomas maintains “maverick” Finn Russell simply isn’t worth the risk.

The fly-half’s controversial omission continues to dominate the build-up to Scotland’s four-match Autumn international campaign, starting against Australia at Murrayfield on Saturday.

And Wales legend Thomas, no shrinking violet himself on or off the field, believes boss Gregor Townsend was right to freeze the 30-year-old out of his squad.

“He’s probably Scotland’s greatest-ever individual player,” said Thomas. “But no individual is bigger than the team.

“If an individual doesn’t contribute to the team, that could end up being your downfall. When you have a great player like Finn, a maverick, there’s also the prospect of an individual failure.

“When he tries things that come off, everybody cheers it. But when they don’t come off, who’s cleaning up after him all the time?”

More here:

Gareth Thomas explains why Scotland were right to drop Finn Russell

Scotland vs Australia: Team news

16:59 , Jamie Braidwood

Glasgow lock Scott Cummings has been ruled out of Scotland’s Autumn Series with a broken toe. Cummings’ place in the squad is taken by Edinburgh’s Glen Young, who has been named among the substitutes.

Glasgow full-back Ollie Smith is given his first home start after making his debut against Argentina during the summer tour of South America. Jamie Ritchie will captain the side for the first time since being appointed as Stuart Hogg’s successor, while Blair Kinghorn starts at number 10 after the controversial decision not to select Finn Russell.

Glasgow back-rower Jack Dempsey, who won 14 caps with the Aussies prior to making himself available for Scotland following a recent change in World Rugby’s international eligibility rules, is in contention to make his debut off the bench against the nation of his birth.

The team for this Saturday is made up entirely of Scottish-based players, with the likes of Adam Hastings, Chris Harris, Josh Bayliss and Hogg unavailable as the match falls outside the international window.

For Australia, Michael Hooper will return after missing the entire Rugby Championship because the back-row forward was not in the right frame of mind to play. Hooper hasn’t, though, reclaimed the captaincy, which remained with prop James Slipper when the Wallabies lineup was announced Thursday.

Fullback Tom Banks also returned after recovering from a broken arm while scrumhalf Tate McDermott will earn his first international start of 2022. Lock Nick Frost will make just his second start for Australia and partners Cadeyrn Neville in the second row.

When is Scotland vs Australia?

16:45 , Jamie Braidwood

The match will kick off at 5:30pm BST on Saturday 29 October.

How can I watch Scotland vs Australia?

The match will be shown live on Amazon Prime Video, which can be accessed across a range of digital devices. If you’re not an Amazon Prime Video subscriber start a free 30-day trial here.

Scotland vs Australia LIVE: Latest Autumn Nations Series updates

16:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live updates as Scotland take on Australia in the opening weekend of the Autumn Nations Series at Murrayfield. Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend’s decision to drop fly-half Finn Russell has been the big talking points ahead of the Tests against the Wallabies, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina, while Jamie Ritchie takes over the captaincy from Stuart Hogg.

Scotland had a disappointing Six Nations campaign but they have an impressive record against Australia in recent times. The Scots have won their last three matches against the Wallabies, including last year’s 15-13 victory at Murrayfield, but Australia remain a work in progress under Dave Rennie and had some encouraging performances in this year’s Rugby Championship.

The visitors, who also play England and Wales in the Autumn Nations Series, welcome back Michael Hooper to the side but Scotland are without the likes of Hogg, Adam Hastings and Chris Harris as the match falls outside the international window.