Australia 33 Scotland 16Scotland will arrive home today with a certain amount of pride restored, having saved their most committed World Cup effort until last. According to their outgoing director of rugby Jim Telfer, however, a radical change of mind-set is required if the Scots want to compete consistently on the global stage.
Telfer, after 47 years of involvement within Scottish rugby, is now free to retire to his garden but his parting shot was to warn that the low road to permanent mediocrity stretches ahead unless fresh efforts are made to strengthen the player base that feeds the national team.
"We've stuck to the middle-class Borders way of thinking. That has to change," insisted Telfer, who advocates dividing the professional arm of Scottish rugby from the community game and relaunching the latter in the summer to improve the skills of the potential stars of tomorrow.
"Some people don't seem to realise how difficult it is for Scotland to win internationals with the resources available," added Telfer, whose disillusion runs so deep he is cutting ties with his old club Melrose after almost half a century. "They wouldn't change the day of the week if they could get away with it. There's a lot of self-interest and selfishness."
Telfer remains optimistic Ian McGeechan, who moves upstairs at Murrayfield with the coach's tracksuit passing to Matt Williams, will have more joy because "he's a bit more persuasive than me", but the sense of an era shuddering to a halt was inescapable on Saturday.
A teary-eyed Kenny Logan farewelled Test rugby after 70 Tests and his captain Bryan Redpath was also making his 60th and final appearance. Gregor Townsend, Tom Smith and Glenn Metcalfe will not be around to paper over the cracks much longer and the class of Chris Paterson and Simon Taylor needs urgent reinforcement.
The half-time score of 9-9 was thoroughly merited, the crowning moment a 49-metre drop-goal by Paterson, the groggy victim of a freak warm-up accident when he was struck on the head by a stray ball.
A nervous-looking Australia, after belatedly sorting out their lineout problems, would almost certainly have won anyway but Telfer was adamant Steve Walsh had erred in allowing Phil Waugh to sneak in for the turnover that set up Stirling Mortlock's 45th-minute try. "There was a ruck formed when Waugh picked the ball up and it changed the game completely."
Quite rightly, the Scottish camp were also miffed at Walsh's failure to permit an advantage when, with Logan in open space, play was halted after Wendell Sailor had lashed out at Nathan Hines. Sailor stayed on the pitch and Scotland's flow was interrupted. The referee also missed countless examples of illegal crossing in the Wallaby midfield.
McGeechan described blocking as "a problem" for the world game but his Australian counterpart, Eddie Jones, responded by criticising Walsh for not sending any of the Scots to the sin-bin for professional fouls. He further claimed Robbie Russell's last-minute try was a product of "the worst obstruction of the game".
Australia have still to come to the boil. They have an excellent defence but, as Logan pointed out, it is going to be needed against the All Blacks. They will have to face New Zealand without Matt Giteau, who has a strained ankle ligament, and flanker George Smith has a shoulder injury. David Giffin, who missed the weekend match, faces a fitness test. Thus Logan thinks the hosts should expect the worst. "I think New Zealand will beat them. They have more firepower out wide."
The Wasps wing believes a Northern Hemisphere side are about to lift the World Cup for the first time. "Whoever wins between France and England will win the World Cup," he insisted.
AUSTRALIA: Rogers; Sailor, Mortlock, Flatley, Tuqiri; Larkham, Gregan (capt); Young, Cannon, Darwin, Harrison, Sharpe, Smith, Waugh, Lyons. Replacements: Smith for Cockbain (half-time); Giteau for Larkham (53 mins); Roff for Rogers (59 mins); Paul for Cannon (62 mins); Baxter for Darwin (65 mins); Whitaker for Gregan (66 mins); Vickerman for Giteau (73 mins).
SCOTLAND: Metcalfe; Danielli, Townsend, Henderson, Logan; Paterson, Redpath (capt); Smith, Bulloch, Douglas, Hines, Grimes, White, Mather, Taylor. Replacements: Hinshelwood for Metcalfe (47 mins); Murray for Grimes (62 mins); Petrie for White (65 mins); McIlwham for Douglas (68 mins); McLaren for Townsend (75 mins); Russell for Bulloch (75 mins).
Referee: S Walsh (New Zealand).
