Scotland vs Australia Test series 2016: Scots given shot at revenge over Wallabies

Argentina reached this year’s World Cup semi-finals

Sean Lamont will get the chance to avenge Scotland’s last-minute defeat to Australia (Getty)

Vern Cotter’s Scotland team will get the chance to avenge their World Cup anguish when they face Australia in next year’s autumn Tests.

The Scots suffered a heartbreaking exit from England 2015 when a controversial last-gasp penalty call from referee Craig Joubert cost them a 35-34 defeat to the Wallabies at Twickenham.

But they will face their quarter-final opponents a year on, after confirming Michael Cheika’s side will open a three-match series on 12 November.

The Murrayfield game will be followed by Tests against Argentina on 19 November and then Georgia on 26 November - the first time they have toured Scotland.

Cotter will hope his team can match the feat managed by former head coach Andy Robinson’s 2009 side, who beat the Australians 9-8 in a memorable Edinburgh encounter.

Argentina reached this year’s World Cup semi-finals but the Pumas shipped four tries to the Scots on their last Murrayfield trip last year as they went down 41-31 in the capital.

Scotland have faced Georgia just once before, when stand-off Dan Parks scored all of his side’s points in a 15-6 win during the 2011 World Cup.

The Scottish Rugby chief operating officer, Dominic McKay, said: “We’re delighted to confirm three very exciting matches for November 2016 - World Cup finalists, Australia, World Cup semi-finalists Argentina and an historic first Test on Scottish soil against Georgia.

“We have had many fantastic matches against Australia and Argentina at BT Murrayfield in the past and we’re looking forward to more of the same when they come to Edinburgh next year.

“The Georgians won over thousands of new fans with their performances in the Rugby World Cup, defeating Namibia and Tonga to take them from tournament debutants in 2003 to securing automatic qualification as one of the top 12 teams in RWC 2019.

“I’m sure they’ll get a great reception when they come to Scotland for the first time for this historic Test.” Kick-off times for each of the three matches have still to be confirmed.

Over 700 anti-doping tests across all levels of rugby in England last season produced just three positive results, the Rugby Football Union revealed yesterday.

The programme carried out 719 tests, in and out-of-competition, while there were also four violations from intelligence-led investigations.

All seven violations involved players outside the elite game. The three positive tests were for steroid use, human growth hormone and cocaine and led to two-year bans.

A World Rugby experiment to have two on-field referees in major matches will be trialed in next year’s New Zealand’s National Provincial Championships. It is the most radical proposal to emerge from a review of rugby’s rules conducted by the world governing body. The responsibilities of each referee have not been specified, but it is thought the second referee will primarily police a new offside line set a metre back from rucks.

New ruck rules will also be experimented with.