Wallaroos overturn half-time deficit to end WXV tour with emphatic win over Scotland

The Wallaroos ended a difficult European tour on a high, defeating Scotland 30-10 in Edinburgh to claim their only win of the WXV Global Series campaign. Australia had lost to England and France in the preceding fortnight, but a dominant second-half display against Dave Butchers’ side delivered a convincing final scoreline.

Desiree Miller, Samantha Wood, Brianna Hoy and Faitala Moleka all crossed for tries as the Wallaroos overturned a 10-5 half-time deficit to hand Scotland a third consecutive defeat in September.

The match carried historic weight beyond the result. Michaela Leonard became the first player to earn 50 caps for the Wallaroos, while Miller’s try made her the first player in the team’s history to reach 100 international points.

“Really pleased to finish off what’s been a really tough campaign for us,” said assistant coach Michael Ruthven. “The girls have certainly been progressing in our performance week to week, so it’s a really pleasing way to finish. We certainly had to work hard for it, but I thought the girls really increased the tempo in the second half and were able to score some tries.”

The tour had promised more than it delivered in the earlier rounds. Against England, a bright first-half showing collapsed into a 48-15 defeat. A week later, Australia led France at half-time but could not capitalise on their opponents’ indiscipline, losing 29-26. The Edinburgh performance was, by contrast, a far more complete 80-minute effort.

The win also preserves Australia’s unbeaten record against Scotland, a statistic that will be tested again when the two sides meet for a two-Test series in Australia in October.

Moleka, named player of the match, expressed confidence heading into that series. “We know what Scotland will bring to us — a lot of physicality, some game driving — but hey, we’ve got the skill set and we’ve got the team to bring it to them,” she said. “I’m excited. Looking back on that second half, I think the girls can really take that and use that as confidence as we go back home.”