The Wallabies are eyeing off a Grand Slam as they prepare to face their next opposition: Scotland.
The Scots are on the rise as they sit in sixth position on the World Rankings, just below their highest ever.
Scotland is stacked with charismatic and exciting talent that can take away a game in an instant and pose a significant threat to the Wallabies.
On top of this, there are several familiar faces in the squad, adding another level to the rivalry that has developed some thrilling encounters in the past years.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Wallabies’ opponent on Monday (AEDT).
Recent form
Scotland is enjoying a solid run of results after missing the 2023 Rugby World Cup knockout stages.
The Scots found themselves in a tough pool alongside South Africa and Ireland in France, dropping both games to finish third.
They finished fourth in the Six Nations thanks to wins over England and Wales, however, dropped games to Ireland, France and Italy by a combined margin of seven points.
Following this, they went unbeaten on their South American tour before wins against Portugal and Fiji bookended a tough defeat against the Springboks.
Squad
Scotland announced a 45-player group for the four November Test matches.
This included five new faces, headlined by former Waratah Mosese Tuipulotu as brother Sione Tuipulotu was named captain.
He is joined by Edinburgh teammates Ben Muncaster and Freddy Douglas along with Glasgow pair Alex Samuel and Tom Jordan.
Ex-Wallaby Jack Dempsey, Max Williamson and Gregor Brown were originally named, however, dropped out of the squad injured. They were replaced by Alec Hepburn and Johnny Matthews
Forwards
Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh), Josh Bayliss (Bath), Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow), Gregor Brown (Glasgow), Scott Cummings (Glasgow), Luke Crosbie (Edinburgh), Alex Craig (Scarlets), Rory Darge (Glasgow), Freddy Douglas (Edinburgh), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Patrick Harrison (Edinburgh), Alec Hepburn (Scarlets), Will Hurd (Leicester), Ewan Johnson (Oyonnax),Johnny Matthews (Glasgow), Nathan McBeth (Glasgow), Elliot Millar Mills (Northampton), Ben Muncaster (Edinburgh), D’Arcy Rae (Edinburgh), Dylan Richardson (Sharks), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Alex Samuel (Glasgow), Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), Rory Sutherland (Glasgow), Max Williamson (Glasgow)
Backs
Matt Currie (Edinburgh), Jamie Dobie (Glasgow), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Adam Hastings (Glasgow), George Horne (Glasgow), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton), Huw Jones (Glasgow), Tom Jordan (Glasgow), Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse), Stafford McDowall (Glasgow), Harry Paterson (Edinburgh), Ali Price (Edinburgh), Arron Reed (Sale), Kyle Rowe (Glasgow), Finn Russell (Bath), Mosese Tuipulotu (Edinburgh), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh), Ben White (Toulon)
The X-Factor
Duhan van der Merwe is a try-scoring weapon for Scotland.
The South African-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 winger has almost an addiction to scoring screamers, claiming Try of the Six Nations in 2023 and 2024.
This translated into the flyer claiming this year’s Six Nations Player of the Year.
His incredible expertise saw him break the Scottish record at the 2023 World Cup, now battling fellow teammate Darcy Graham for outright top spot.
The young gun
Ewan Ashman has commanded the Scottish #2 jersey since his debut in 2021.
The Canadian-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 hooker starred through the age groups and scored on Test debut against the Wallabies that same year.
Ashman has been a regular under Grigor Townsend and looms as the central piece behind their strong set-piece and rolling maul.
The coach
Grigor Townsend is a legend of Scottish Rugby both on and off the field.
Townsend comfortably holds the record for most games coached by an individual and sits second to Ian McGeechan for success rate.
Under the former star playmaker, Scotland have dominated their rivalry with England whilst enjoying considerable success in the Six Nations.
Scotland’s record against the Wallabies
The Australians have enjoyed the better of Scotland, although in recent years the ledger has been closer than the stats reflect.
The Wallabies have won 22 of their 34 encounters, helped by a 9-3 record at home.
At Murrayfield, the Aussies have a 12-9 advantage, although Scotland has claimed two of the last three.
The Wallabies won the last contest at the ground in 2022, claiming a 16-15 win.
