Scotland player ratings: Blair Kinghorn stands out in narrow loss to Wallabies
Following their 16-15 defeat to Australia in their Autumn Nations Series opener, here’s our player ratings for Scotland after the Murrayfield fixture.
15 Ollie Smith: Took his try extremely well on 11 minutes as he backed himself to make the whitewash and fortunately it paid off. Solid throughout. 8.
14 Darcy Graham: Could not transfer his hot streak in the United Rugby Championship to the Test stage today but gave a decent account of himself. 7.
13 Mark Bennett: Didn’t feature too often with ball in hand but contained the dangerous Len Ikitau, enjoying a good 80-minute midfield combination. 6.
12 Sione Tuipulotu: Had a hand in Smith’s early crossing and despite a spillage with the line at his mercy, was one of Scotland‘s standout players. 8.
11 Duhan van der Merwe: Was kept quiet in the first period but did well to claim a high ball before setting off toward the red zone in the second. 6.
10 Blair Kinghorn: Lovely delayed pass for Smith’s try was backed up by an outstanding individual score, but that late penalty miss will sting. 9.
9 Ali Price: Wasn’t his usual sniping and dangerous self as both Tate McDermott and Nic White got the better of the scrum-half battle at Murrayfield. 5.
8 Matt Fagerson: Struggled to impact his attacking game on Australia, despite seven carries, and was replaced after an hour by Gregor Townsend. 5.
7 Hamish Watson: A few customary fends and carries from the openside flank but he didn’t make much ground. Busy in defence though with 17 hits. 7.
First game as Scotland captain
6 Jamie Ritchie (c): Won a relieving penalty at ruck time early on and generally made the right decisions on his first Test run-out as the skipper. 7.
5 Grant Gilchrist: Not up to his usual high standards that we’ve become accustomed to and two missed tackles won’t improve Gilchrist’s mood. 5.
4 Sam Skinner: Pounced on loose ball to relieve pressure in his own 22 but that was unfortunately his last act as he came off injured after 24 minutes.
3 Zander Fagerson: Carried well in a decent double act with his fellow prop, with Fagerson and the pack also enjoying some joy at scrum-time. 7.
2 Dave Cherry: Scotland weren’t peachy at the lineout and failed to roll away at a ruck which gifted three points to Australia on the cusp of half-time. 5.
1 Pierre Schoeman: Won an early relieving penalty at ruck time on his own line, scrummed well and made an impressive 13 carries for the cause. 8.
Replacements: Early replacement Glen Young was busy but a yellow card for a clearout around the hour proved costly. Others had little impact. 4.