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Scotland came within a whisker of beating Australia at Twickenham on Sunday only to suffer a heartbreaking and controversial defeat to eliminate them from the Rugby World Cup.
Despite being outscored five tries to three, Scotland snatched the lead when Mark Bennett intercepted a James Slipper pass and raced away to score with less than five minutes remaining. However, Australian fly-half Bernard Foley held his nerve to land a last-minute penalty and secure a narrow win for the Wallabies.
Adam Ashley-Cooper gave Australia the lead with an early try after a mistake from Tommy Seymour, but Scotland hit back through centre Peter Horne from close range. Back came Australia as Drew Mitchell scored in the corner, but the boot of Scottish skipper Greig Laidlaw ensured the Dark Blues were keeping their noses in front.
Michael Hooper scored a third when a driving maul was shoved over the line, and after the break and immediate yellow card to Sean Maitland for a deliberate knock-on saw Australia pull clear through Mitchell’s second try and another from Tevita Kuridrani.
But there was to be a twist as Seymour capitalised on Foley charge-down from Finn Russell to score in the corner, and Twickenham erupted when Bennett raced clear to put Scotland ahead with a handful of minutes remaining.
But a contentious decision from referee Craig Joubert saw him claim the Scots were offside despite the ball appearing to hit Wallabies replacement scrum-half Nick Phipps, and Foley held his nerve to land the winning penalty shortly before Joubert sprinted for the sanctuary of the changing rooms.
So how did the players perform at Twickenham? Click on the gallery below to find out.
Show all 30 1 /30Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Kurtley Beale - 8 out of 10 Barely noticeable that Israel Folau was absent, such was Beale's performance. His kicking from hand pinned Scotland back and dealt with the high ball very well.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Adam Ashley-Cooper - 7 out of 10 Bagged the first try when he had the simple job of running in at the corner. Could have had a second after the break, and could do little about Seymour's try.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Tevita Kuridrani - 8 out of 10 Used every inch of his power to barge his way through the line and score his try that looked to have won the game. He also broke Seymour's tackle to feed Ashley-Cooper for the opening try.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Matt Giteau - 7 out of 10 Looked bemused by the man of the match award, but at least he was on the winning team. Rarely called upon to kick from hand and linked the play nicely to release those outside him.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Drew Mitchell - 8 out of 10 The previously exiled wing scored twice as he showed his experience to stay in the field of play both times. His strength is underrated, and he could have had a hat-trick if Kuridrani found him on the switch.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Bernard Foley - 5 out of 10 Rarely has the match-winner played so poorly. Missed three of his five conversions and dropped a high ball in the first half. It got worse before it got better, as he was charged down for Seymour's try. Still, held his nerve to score the crucial penalty in tricky conditions.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Will Genia - 6 out of 10 Made it to the breakdown rapidly and his passing was, on the whole, accurate. Still not at the level he was two years ago though.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Scott Sio - 5 out of 10 One of the stand out players for the Wallabies this World Cup but he wasn't at the races in the scrum today. Penalised twice early for collapsing, although he did secure one pressure relieving penalty, and he departed early in the second half with a twisted arm.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Stephen Moore - 6 out of 10 Struggled in the scrum but carried impressively as he repeatedly broke the gain line. A relieved man come the full time whistle on his 100th cap.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Sekope Kepu - 6 out of 10 Enjoyable battle with Dickinson that neither really got the better of. Replaced by Greg Holmes late on.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Kane Douglas - 7 out of 10 One of his better performances this World Cup as he performed very well in the air - both in the line out and the loose.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Rob Simmons - 7 out of 10 Took the very first catch and continuously ran his heart out in trying to batter down the blue wall ahead.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Scott Farey - 6 out of 10 Developing a reputation as a ferocious 6 but his best work came in attack rather than defence. Carried hard and often direct which posed the Scots problems in getting over the ball.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Michael Hooper - 7 out of 10 The mole of the maul, he burrowed his way over after taking the ball from a line out to score. Crucial tackle on Seymour stopped a first-half counter attack.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Ben McCalman - 7 out of 10 Did the brunt of the carrying that led to Mitchell's first try. David Pocock may offer many things but he lacks the go-forward that McCalman brought.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings <b>Scotland:</b> Stuart Hogg - 6 out of 10 Looked to counter whenever opportunity presented itself. One wasted chance when he had men outside him, and his kicking from hand wasn't the best either.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Sean Maitland - 6 out of 10 Proved a useful release valve in the first half as he carried the ball from deep. Harshly yellow carded for what was deemed a deliberate knock down, and the Wallabies capitalised in his absence as Mitchell and Kuridrani went over.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Mark Bennett - 7 out of 10 Couldn't take a pass from Russell when in space early in but that was hardly his fault. The whole stadium thought he'd scored the match-winning interception try late on. Sadly it wasn't to be.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Peter Horne - 7 out of 10 Used his brain to score and put Scotland ahead as Australia were caught napping around the fringes. Looked to be suffering when he left the field.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Tommy Seymour - 6 out of 10 At fault for the opening try as he rushed up on Kuridrani only to be brushed off. Took a nice catch above Beale to trigger an attack, and was alert to support Russell to take the offload and score in the corner.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Finn Russell - 7 out of 10 Brought expansion and width to Scotland's game plan which made them thrilling to watch. Charge down on Foley led to Seymour's try, but could have made Bennett's life easier after giving him a poor pass.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Greig Laidlaw - 8 out of 10 Ultra-reliable with the boot although his one missed conversion ultimately proved costly. His leadership was inspiring though and he was usually one step ahead of the opposition.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Alasdair Dickinson - 7 out of 10 A nuisance in the breakdown as he proved a useful tool in turning the ball over. Scrimmaged well, though met his match in Kepu.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Ross Ford - 6 out of 10 Had a quiet game, though it was a lot busier than he had expected following the successful appeal of a three-week ban. Replaced by Fraser Brown midway through the second half.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings WP Nel - 8 out of 10 Gave Sio all sorts of trouble in the scrum which gave the Dark Blues the upper hand. His penalties allowed Laidlaw to keep the points ticking.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Jonny Gray - 7 out of 10 Another to profit from the successful ban appeal, Gray performed well in the line out though will have wanted to contribute more with the ball in hand. However, in defence he was incredible as he made an unrivalled 18 tackles.
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Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Richie Gray - 7 out of 10 A key figure in defence as he tackled anything gold that moved. Scotland still need to get a man of his size coming onto the ball at speed, but overall a very solid performance.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings Blair Cowan - 8 out of 10 Defensively phenomenal as he was all over the Australian ball. Fully justified his place in the side having originally missed out on the World Cup squad. And this performance you're left wondering why.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings John Hardie - 7 out of 10 One of the busier carriers although he didn't see a lot of return for it. Could be more disruptive at the breakdown, but that's a harsh criticism.
Australia 35 Scotland 34 player ratings David Denton - 9 out of 10 The man who least deserved to end up on the losing side. In a hugely attacking match, Denton came out on top with the most metres made as well as clean breaks. Brilliant with the ball and a joy to watch when at his best.
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