Australia rout dismal Scotland

The Saturday night "Pink 'Un" had it cruelly right. "The Shower of Scotland" is not a headline designed to cause much mirth in the SRU offices this morning but even the Murrayfield mandarins cannot ignore the multitude of flashing red danger signals all around them.

It was not so much the record margin of defeat to an Australian side scarcely weighed down by stardust, nor even the hiss of punctured optimism as a young home side leaked 29 points without reply after the interval. Worse was the subdued air of resignation around a stadium barely two-thirds full for what many hoped might be the dawn of a kilted era. Without a stiffening of resolve on and off the field, the Springboks will run amok on Saturday week.

A significant number of spectators were shuffling away home long before John Eales converted Willie Ofahengaue's injury-time try to eclipse the 37-12 margin of the 1984 Wallabies, that all-conquering bunch who could boast the talents of Ella, Campese and Farr-Jones.

A year ago it was 19 points from Matt Burke which scissored the Scots. This time it was the slim, elusive Stephen Larkham who applied the rapier with two unorthodox tries. Australia are currently producing quality full-backs at the same rate as dashing middle-order batsmen; all know instinctively what to do when the right ball comes along.

There were strong echoes of last season's Scottish defeat by Wales, particularly Ieuan Evans' steal of a try down the right from a favourable bounce, in the way Larkham accelerated on to a chip ahead by Tait and left first Craig and then Hodge in his slipstream. He had covered 70 metres by the time he picked up his own fly-hack and touched down at the other end in the 44th minute.

His second try on the hour owed more than a little to some flimsy tackling and the home side could console themselves at conceding only one more score after Gregan had stretched over right-handed with still a quarter of an hour to go.

Scotland's best moment came courtesy of Wallaby hooker Foley's generous gift-wrapped throw to unmarked debutant Scott Murray at a line-out five metres from the visiting line. They were unlucky to lose the concussed Roxburgh but getting their injured forward trio of Rob Wainwright, Doddie Weir and Ian Smith fit is clearly an urgent necessity.

Gregor Townsend, like Mike Catt for England, continues to test the patience of his admirers at flyhalf and 20-year-old James Craig, whose best chance to show his pace proved to be his pursuit of Joe Roff to the line for Australia's first try, will not want to dwell on his defensive performance.

They will not be erecting a statue down under to Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen just yet either. He is realistic enough to know that the second Test defeat to Argentina and drab 15-15 draw with England will be what sticks longest in most Australian memories from this tour.

Guardian Service

Scotland: R Hodge (Watsonians); J Craig (West of Scotland), T Stanger (Hawick), A Tait (Newcastle), K Logan (Wasps); G Townsend (Northampton), A Nicol (Bath) capt; M Stewart (Northampton), G McKelvey (Watsonians), D Hilton (Bath), S Murray (Bedford), S Campbell (Dundee HSFP), I Smith (Moseley), E Peters (Bath), A Roxburgh (Kelso).

Australia: S Larkham; B Tune, T Horan, P Howard, J Roff; E Flatley, G Gregan; A Blades, M Foley, R Harry, J Langford, J Eales, W Ofahengaue, O Finegan, B Robinson.

Referee: T Henning (South Africa).