Scotland’s international autumn ended as it began with records tumbling as a dozen tries were rattled in at BT Murrayfield, eight of them by the home side, but this was of a different order to the win against Samoa.

For context a dig into the history of Scotland’s meetings with the sport’s old order and the other seven original International Rugby Board members did the trick. In close to 150 years this was - out-stripping by 16 the 37 scored against Ireland 20 years ago - the highest score registered against one of those nations and only the second time eight times have been scored, matching the tally achieved in 1924 against Wales by a team that would win a Grand Slam the following year.

That was before Murrayfield was opened and the modern day rugby environment would have been unrecognisable to Ian ‘the flying Scot’ Smith and his colleagues of that era with its fireworks, techno music and booing of opposing team villains such as Sekope Kepu, the Wallaby prop who was rightly red carded for his reckless, head high challenge on Hamish Watson late in the first half.

On which note the first lyrics of the song that has become a regular refrain hereabouts and greeted the final whistle have never been more apt.

“When I wake up…” yodelled The Proclaimers and when Stephen Moore wakes up the morning after playing the last of his 129 Tests on the ground where he made his first start, he will realise that his farewell party which saw his team lose by a score that would have been unimaginable when he was part of a Wallabies side that was winning 44-15 back in 2006, was no nightmare.

Meanwhile for Byron McGuigan, man of the match on his first Murrayfield start, no dream could have had a more fantastic outcome when he was being released by Glasgow Warriors a few years ago. Called into the starting line-up just 20 minutes before kick off after Stuart Hogg, the man considered Scotland’s talisman, had suffered a hip injury during the warm-up, the winger scored was to score tries in each half and be denied a hat-trick late on only by a piece of chicanery that saw Kurtley Beale sin-binned for deliberately knocking the ball into touch in-goal, reducing his side to 13 men.

If the full-back hoped his desperate intervention would stop his side from suffering the ignominy of conceding a half century of points he merely delayed the moment it happened as those still on the park proved powerless to prevent the final try which was also evocative of the meeting with Samoa, Stuart McInally capitalising on a driving maul, as he had twice during that match.

To Wallaby coach Michael Cheika’s credit he offered no complaints about the red card which tilted things in Scotland’s favour just after the tourists had recovered from an early 10 point deficit to get into a 12-10 lead thanks to a brace of tries for centre Tevita Kuridrani.

That scoreline had been rough on the Scots who had once again had the better of most of the opening half and perhaps deserved more from it to that point than the early Finn Russell and the first of McGuigan’s tries. Then again it had been an opportunist and slightly fortuitous score as he capitalised on the breakdown of a Wallaby back move, hacked ahead, got there first, fluffed his first attempt to edge it over the goal-line as the ball bounced off his left knee, but second time around deftly nudged it with the outside of his right boot before falling on the ball.

What was striking was Scotland’s ruthlessness, however, Ali Price registering their second try from the close range lineout drive set up from the penalty awarded for Kepu’s indiscretion then, after their opponents made their last attempt to regain the initiative with sustained attacking leading to a Beale try which levelled the scores at 17-17 early in the second half, putting them away clinically.

McGuigan turned try maker when he picked up a loose ball to deliver the pass that let Sean Maitland, who had switched to full-back in Hogg’s absence, show his awareness and pace in finding space on the left and covering the 60 metres to the line.

A thunderous charge by replacement prop Jamie Bhatti sparked a move which ended up with Jonny Gray going over from close range, before Russell’s mischievous awareness saw him send Huw Jones in after catching the Wallabies napping with a tap penalty in their 22 after he had shaped as if he was going to kick for goal, but did not indicate as much to the referee.

Maitland then got the chance to return the favour for McGuigan, putting him in for his second try, before Lopeti Timani went over from close range, moments after taking the field, to score his side’s fourth try.

As if to emphasise the determination to ensure that there would be no let off, skipper John Barclay, marked a superb personal performance by treating the crowd to something of a rarity as he responded by scoring only his fifth try in 66 Test appearances, having generated the opportunity in more characteristic fashion with a midfield turnover.

Scorers: Scotland - Tries - McGuigan (2), Price, Maitland, Gray, Jones, Barclay, McInally; cons - Russell (5); pen - Russell. Australia - tries - Kuridrani (2), Beale, Timani; cons - Foley (2)