Scotland Anticipated to Edge Out Australia in Close Contest

Matt Taylor forecasts a narrow victory for Scotland over Australia this Sunday. He anticipates a closely contested game when the two teams face off in the upcoming chapter of their “great rivalry”. Having previously served as a defence coach for both Scotland and the Wallabies, Taylor possesses firsthand insight into their recent matchups. The Australian anticipates Scotland will be highly confident, even with the renewed strength of the Wallabies, who have defeated England and decisively beaten Wales this autumn. Taylor stated on the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast: “Scotland back themselves against Australia, they’ll feel very confident at Murrayfield.” He added, “I think both are great teams playing good rugby at the moment. There’s been a great rivalry there over the last few years.” Predicting a tight contest, he continued, “It’s going to be close. The last two games has been within a couple points.” Taylor then offered his specific prediction: “I think Scotland will edge it. There won’t be much in it, I think it’ll be within five points, maybe 24-19 or something like that.” He concluded, “Some of the Australian players might give me a bit of a hard time, but I think the Murrayfield factor, the crowd will get them home.” During his playing career, Taylor played for Edinburgh, Border Reivers – where he was a teammate of current Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend – and Scotland A. He later became defence coach for Glasgow Warriors in 2012 and served as an assistant to Townsend when the club secured the Pro12 title in 2015. He concurrently held a comparable position within the Scotland national team structure, supporting Vern Cotter, prior to rejoining Townsend when the latter assumed the national coaching role in 2017. Taylor asserts that Townsend has “taken Scotland to another level” since Taylor left to join Dave Rennie’s Australia backroom staff in 2019. However, he believes Scotland must conclude their 25-year quest for a Six Nations title while several of their crucial players remain at their peak. Taylor, currently coaching at the Japanese top-flight team Ricoh Black Rams, commented: “Maybe in another two or three years’ time it’ll be interesting to see where Scotland is in terms of that cycle, so I think they’ve got to take the opportunity in the next year or two.” He added, “I really believe that they shouldn’t be too far away. In international rugby you’ve got to take your moments.” Townsend’s contract with Scotland extends until 2026. While Taylor is convinced that securing the long-awaited Six Nations title is Townsend’s sole focus, he also thinks his former superior would be highly sought after should he decide to seek a new opportunity. Taylor stated: “He’s very focused on doing well in the next Six Nations.” He continued, “I know he’s got a real drive and determination to win a title with Scotland. He puts everything into the job and I’m just hoping that for him and for the nation and for the players that Scotland can do that.” Taylor speculated about Townsend’s future prospects: “He’s got that history playing in France and he can speak French, so I’d imagine there would be teams out there that would be pretty keen to have him as the head coach. I think he wouldn’t mind having a go in Japan at some stage as well.” He concluded, “He’s a very good coach, he’s done some really good things with Scotland. So when his time comes to an end, whenever that is, I’m sure he’s going to have a lot of options.”