Missed chances hurt Hamilton

Scotland lock Jim Hamilton called for brutal honesty within the squad after an improved showing against Australia on Saturday.

Scotland lock Jim Hamilton called for brutal honesty within the squad after an improved showing against Australia on Saturday.

The Wallabies won 21-15 at Murrayfield but missed a handful of kicks at goal through Christian Leali'ifano – five in total – to keep the scoreline tight up until the final whistle.

Hamilton won his 50th cap against Australia and was at his physical best rampaging around the paddock throughout, but was left searching for positives after a second loss in a week having been trounced 28-0 by South Africa.

“If we are taking the positives out of it, we were significantly better than we were last week against South Africa,” said Hamilton.

“But we still struggled at those crucial times when we needed to be clinical. The chances we got, we didn't take.

“If you look at these huge southern hemisphere nations, if they get one opportunity, they make it count by scoring.

“We are obviously not quite at that level but we can be pleased with the fight and resolve that we showed in some parts against Australia.

“We were in a good place going into half-time but the disappointing thing was that we allowed them to get a second try just after the restart.

“But if we want to move on as a team, we can't just talk about positives. We have to be harsh in our assessment of ourselves.

“We need to be brutally honest with each other but we have got the coaches who will do that.

“It's not about blowing smoke into the team and telling us all how great we are. Frankly, if you don't win then it really doesn't matter how well you have played.”