The Wallabies turned back the clock to last year's World Cup to again triumph over Scotland by a single point at Murrayfield, writes MARK KEOHANE.
The Wallabies won 23-22 after trailing 22-16 with five minutes to play.
Scotland, with a man over, couldn't turn the number into a match-winning one as Wallabies flyhalf Bernard Foley, as he did a year ago, won the game for Australia with the final scoring act of the match.
Foley, at the 2015 World Cup, kicked a 79th-minute penalty for a 35-34 win.
Scotland's management insisted the players would not look back to look forward, but the one-point horror repeated itself in dramatic fashion.
Scotland centre Huw Jones described the defeat as heart-breaking.
'We really thought we were going to hold on. It is gutting. Our discipline was not good enough today. There were too many penalties and infringements.'
Australian captain Stephen Moore applauded Scotland's performance and said it was as tough as every Test he had played against Scotland.
He said one point was too close for comfort but commended his team for finding something special to sneak the victory when playing 14 versus 15.
Both teams scored two tries but Foley's four penalties were decisive and the difference to the three of Scotland's.
Scotland – Tries: Huw Jones (2), Jonny Gray. Conversions: Laidlaw (2). Penalty: Laidlaw.
Wallabies – Tries: Reece Hodge, Tevita Kuridrani. Conversions: Bernard Foley (2). Penalties: Foley (3).
Scotland – 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 1 Allan Dell, 2 Ross Ford, 3 Zander Fagerson, 4 Richie Gray, 5 Jonny Gray, 6 John Barclay, 7 Hamish Watson, 8 Ryan Wilson.
Subs: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Moray Low, 19 Grant Gilchrist, 20 John Hardie, 21 Ali Price, 22 Pete Horne, 23 Rory Hughes.
Australia – 15 Israel Folau; 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Reece Hodge, 11 Henry Speight; 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia 1 Scott Sio, 2 Stephen Moore (c), 3 Sekope Kepu, 4 Rory Arnold, 5 Adam Coleman, 6 David Pocock; 7 Michael Hooper, 8 Lopeti Timani.
Subs: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Will Skelton, 21 Dean Mumm, 22 Nick Phipps, 23 Quade Cooper.
Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
