There was no gloss the Wallaby master of spin Eddie Jones could put on this result. A second win in 15 days against Scotland came at a high price, and a weakened Australia will face England in this weekend's reprise of last year's World Cup final without their first-choice back line.
A spate of first-half injuries leaves them without Stephen Larkham and Stirling Mortlock, whose tours are over. Clyde Rathbone has only a "10 per cent" chance of playing and Jones is contemplating drafting in the Newcastle full-back Matt Burke to face England. "It's a huge worry," said the Wallaby coach. "It's not good news. It was a fairly unique experience losing three backs in 30 minutes."
Mortlock suffered a depressed fracture of the cheekbone when making a waist-high challenge on Andy Henderson in the second minute and Larkham, capped 75 times at outhalf, was taken off shortly before half-time with a fractured bone in his arm sustained in setting up Phil Waugh's 35th-minute try. A few minutes earlier, Rathbone had limped off with a severe groin strain.
Justin Harrison also has a groin injury but Jones expects his side to present England with a stiffer challenge than the Springboks.
"It's been a difficult tour for South Africa," he said. "They looked a bit fatigued to me. We don't like to make excuses, and we're not fatigued."
The England coach Andy Robinson will note when he watches the video that Elton Flatley did not look anywhere near as composed as Larkham at outhalf. Meanwhile, Mortlock's replacement, the rugby league convert Wendell Sailor, is as vulnerable under the high ball as ever.
Australia benefited hugely from an error by the referee Alan Lewis, who ignored a blatant knock-on from their flanker George Smith after 21 minutes. The ball had bobbled forwards for several feet when Rathbone collected it and delivered it to Lote Tuqiri for Australia's first try, just as the Scots looked to be holding their own. "Off Smith's shoulder" was Jones's verdict.
It knocked the Scots off the rhythm they had created since Henderson's burst through Mortlock, but in the end it was a footnote in the same story: the Scots defended like demons but conceded further tries for Waugh, Tuqiri and George Gregan.
Scotland's 15 tries against Japan were put in perspective by their sole score here, a charge-down of Flatley's attempted clearance by Allister Hogg.
SCOTLAND: H Southwell (Edinburgh); C Paterson (Edinburgh), A Hinshelwood (Worcester), A Henderson (Glasgow; Morrison, Glasgow, 70), S Lamont (Glasgow); D Parks (Glasgow), C Cusiter (Borders; Blair, Edinburgh, 74); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), G Bulloch (Glasgow, capt; Russell, London Irish 74), G Kerr (Leeds; Douglas, 49), S Grimes (Newcastle), N Hines (Edinburgh; MacLeod, Borders, 70), A Hogg (Edinburgh), D MacFadyen (Glasgow), J Petrie (Glasgow; White, 49).
AUSTRALIA: C Latham (Queensland); C Rathbone (ACT; Rogers, NSW, 34), S Mortlock (ACT; Sailor, Queensland, 3), M Giteau (ACT), L Tuqiri (NSW); S Larkham (ACT; Flatley, Queensland, h-t), G Gregan (capt, ACT); B Young (ACT); Dunning, NSW, 58), J Paul (ACT; Cannon, NSW, 66), A Baxter (Young, 78), J Harrison (NSW), D Vickerman (NSW; Samo, ACT, 80), G Smith (ACT), P Waugh (NSW), D Lyons (NSW; Hoiles, NSW, 73).
Referee: A Lewis (Ireland).
Guardian Service
