THERE are some things no coach can buy; the players either have them or they don’t. Top of the list is the kind of never-say-die spirit that closes out tight games. Scotland had it in spades, Australia didn’t. That was the fundamental difference between the sides in Sydney yesterday.

The Scots took the lead in the opening two minutes and held it for all but six minutes of the match. Those bald statistics,

however, do not come close to relating the drama of a game that ebbed and flowed until it finally came down to a couple of penalties – Australia stealing the ball to give themselves one final hope, Scotland stealing it back to end it.

When Scotland review the game in the cold light of day, away from the emotions that were running high in the immediate aftermath, they will accept that some of the luck that has gone against them in recent encounters with Australia went their way this time. Two of their tries were the result of simple blunders by Australia, the third a thing of wonder.

The result means Scotland will return to fifth when the new World Rugby rankings are published tomorrow. It is a huge achievement for this group of players, one which began under Vern Cotter and seemingly being taken on further now by Gregor Townsend.

“It is a proud day for us all, everybody involved in Scottish rugby,” the head coach said. “To put away those frustrations of the last couple of seasons and come away with an important win is great and a credit to the players.

“It is down to the work that has gone on over the last couple of seasons, the way the players have stuck to their task at training, learned from close defeat and how strong they are as a group.

“There were occasions in the first half when we did not get things right. We did not get enough set-piece possession due to the pressure Australia put on the line-out. We did not get our game flowing. We showed in the first 10 minutes that we were looking to play, though it was really defence that got us those two tries. Then we had 10 minutes in the second half when we played the rugby we wanted to play and scored a cracking try.”

It was only the third time Scotland have won in Australia, the other occasions being in 1982 and 2012, and their first win in Sydney. More to the point, the result went some way to softening memories of the last two games against the Wallabies when Scotland led going into the final minutes, only to lose by a single point.

If you had left this game five minutes from the end, that is just what you would have expected to happen again. Scotland were five points ahead but under the cosh as the Wallabies ran rampant.

However, this team are made of sterner stuff. This team did not crack. Townsend added: “I was trying to keep calm but could feel the emotion from Matt Taylor, my defence coach, who was involved in the two one-point defeats and was brought up in Australia. It was a big game for him. I don’t know what he’d have been like if we had lost.

“You are looking at the clock a lot. When it was a minute to go and we got that penalty and the line-out, I got a little more relaxed, but that changed when we lost the penalty back. We did not show enough of what we want to do but this was about heart, togetherness, defending against some very good attackers, some great runners, and making sure that if you miss a tackle you get back on your feet and cover.

“The line break at the end, there were four or five guys trying to get the ball back for the team.”

Scotland took the lead in the second minute when Greig Tonks, recalled after two years in the cold, kicked a penalty, and went further ahead when Duncan Taylor, who was still in the centre at that point but moved to the wing in the second half, collected a loose ball and sauntered over.

Australia hit back, setting up a driving maul on the Scotland line and when the Scots over-committed their defenders, a wide pass put Israel Folau in for the try.

Finn Russell was having a great game at fly-half, and it was his break from his 22 that indirectly brought the next try, after his

opposite number, Bernard Foley, hit him late and high. With the Foley in the sin-bin, Will Genia, tried but failed to clear his line and Russell gratefully charged down and claimed the try.

The Wallabies were still going strong, and hit back in a similar manner to their first try, the main difference being that it was a cross kick that got the ball to Folau.

In the second half, when Genia spotted a gap, Australia snatched the lead, but their advantage lasted only six minutes before Scotland hit back in style with a brilliant breakaway move that was finished clinically. They worked the ball to the right and Lee Jones, another coming back from the international wilderness, nipped past the first line of defence. Taylor was there in support and flanker Hamish Watson took the scoring pass.

That turned out to be the final score, although Scotland’s defence had to scramble and fight to keep the line intact. “It was a bit tit-for-tat at the end but we will take confidence from it,” Scotland captain John Barclay said. “We have a few guys missing and feel we have barely scratched the surface here. They are one of the best teams in the world. To beat them on any day is good, to beat them in their own back yard with a dry ball is great.”

Scorers: Australia: Tries: Folau (19, 38), Genia (56). Cons: Foley 2.

Scotland: Tries: Taylor (14), Russell (26), Watson (62). Cons: Russell 3. Pen: Tonks (2)

Australia: I Folau (Waratahs); D Haylett-Petty (Western Force), T Kuridrani (Brumbies), K Hunt (Reds, Q Cooper, Reds, 66), E Nabuli (Reds, R Hodge, Rebels, 60); B Foley (Waratahs, sin bin: 23-33), W Genia (Stade Francais), T Robertson (Waratahs, S Sio, Brumbies, 68), T Polota-Nau (Western Force, S Moore, Reds, 50), A Alaalatoa (Brumbies, S Kepu, Warahahs, 60), S Carter (Brumbies, R Arnold, Brumbies, 41), A Coleman (Western Force), N Hanigan (Waratahs), M Hooper (Waratahs), S Higginbotham (Reds, R Hardwick, Western Force, 58).

Scotland: G Tonks (London Irish); L Jones (Glasgow Warriors), A Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), D Taylor (Saracens), R Hughes (Glasgow Warriors, M Scott, Gloucester, 41); F Russell (Glasgow Warriors), A Price (Glasgow Warriors, H Pyrgos, Glasgow Warriors, 64); G Reid (Glasgow Warriors, A Dell, Edinburgh, 54), F Brown (Glasgow Warriors, R Ford, Edinburgh, 45), Z Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, WP Nel, Edinburgh, 46), B Toolis (Edinburgh, T Swinson, Glasgow Warriors, 70), J Gray (Glasgow Warriors), J Barclay (Scarlets), H Watson (Edinburgh), R Wilson (Glasgow Warriors, sin bin: 38-48, J Strauss, Glasgow Warriors, 57).

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

Attendance: 30,721The Herald: