Scotland flowering nicely while southern hemisphere sides show signs of wear | Paul Rees

Everybody has felt the pace in the autumn internationals but Australia, South Africa and Argentina look pale imitations of the sides who reached the World Cup semi-finals in England two years ago

England and Ireland both won their three matches but their campaigns, without the lustre of facing New Zealand, were a touch underwhelming as they were rarely extended in confirming their places in the world rankings. Scotland were arguably the team of the month, pipping Samoa in an anarchic thriller to start before taking the game to New Zealand, denied by Beauden Barrett’s try-saving tackle in the final minute. They finished by achieving the double over Australia following June’s victory in Sydney. They were aided by Sekope Kepu’s red card for dangerous play – it is right that players highlight the welfare issue which is why there is no excuse for such a reckless and potentially dangerous act – but even with a full side the Wallabies were struggling to contain an irrepressible Scotland, who were not disrupted by the loss of Stuart Hogg in the warm-up. Scotland have a high-risk approach, revelling in the unstructured, and if at times it leaves them exposed, as at Twickenham in the 2017 Six Nations, the increased openness of the international game suits them, and they are developing depth.

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2iWqvXk