Autumn Nations Series: Scotland ‘found a way to win’ against Australia, says head coach Gregor Townsend

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend was left frustrated by aspects of his side’s performance in their 27-13 Autumn Nations Series win over Australia, but praised the way his players “found a way to win”.

Much of the talk in the build-up to this game was about how Scotland needed to end the year with a positive result – the type of fixture they have to win to “be taken seriously”, as Huw Jones put it.

Captain Sione Tuipulotu’s try put Scotland in front at half-time after a largely underwhelming first 40 minutes, but they upped their game after the interval and crossed for three magnificent tries from Duhan van der Merwe, Josh Bayliss and Finn Russell.

Ultimately, the Scots did what they had to do, turning it on at key moments against a Wallabies side high on confidence after wins against England and Wales.

“There was more in us,” Townsend said. “We weren’t as accurate in the first half.

“It shows we can get a win when we’re not playing as well. There were moments in the game that I loved. We’re better than some of the aspects today, but I’m proud that the players found a way to win.

“I’m inwardly happy, but if there was a game next week it would be a tough review and there would be a lot of things to improve.”