Formidable Scotland stand in way of Wallabies’ rare shot at grand slam glory

For the Wallabies, the Test against Scotland at Murrayfield is the biggest of 2024. Joe Schmidt’s men are resurgent after upsetting England and walloping Wales. They are playing high-speed, ultra-tough, adrenaline-charged rugby with style and a smile. Beat the boys in blue in Edinburgh and they get a golden shot at history, with only Ireland standing between them and Australia’s first grand slam in 40 years.

This will be the 35th Test in a fiercely contested 97-year history between the nations. In their last six clashes at this arena, each have three victories apiece, with the last two going to the wire – Scotland winning 15-13 in 2021, Australia 16-15 in 2022. This clash will be different. Both teams are in the midst of a points-scoring frenzy – Scotland have piled on 131 in three Tests, Australia 96 from two – and both will go all out.

Related: Australia look for Harry Potter magic as Suaalii returns against Scotland

Having spanked Fiji 57-17 and Portugal 59-21, and given South Africa a scare in a 32-15 defeat, the No 6-ranked Scots are formidable, with a tough pack, ravenous loose forwards, a maestro fly-half in Finn Russell and a speed-to-burn backline of Sione Tuipulotu, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe. “It will be very tough,” said Schmidt. “They play a fast game and put massive pressure on at the breakdown.”

But to the surprise of many, Australia will meet Scotland on level terms. Wallabies scrum coach Mike Cron has forged a world-class tight five of his own from a young front row of Angus Bell and Matt Faessler and locks Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams. The Wallabies backrowers hunt like wolves, and their wings Andrew Kellaway and Max Jorgensen and fullback Tom Wright have been running wild, fast and hot.

For both sets of fans, most eyes will be on the players earning the most money. Scotland’s Finn Russell pockets AU$1.95m a year with Bath (second only to New Zealand’s Richie Mo’unga at Toshiba Brave Lupus) while Australia’s one-Test wonder Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii banks $1.7m even before making his Super Rugby debut. That makes them vital weapons for their teams and huge targets for their enemies.

Suaalii’s debut against England was a sensation. The 21-year-old showed sublime touch to get four turnovers away and also win back a handful of kick restarts. His very presence seemed to lift each of his teammates to greater heights. But Suaalii barely made more than a metre from each of his eight runs and missed four tackles. Scotland won’t have missed that. They’ll be in his face all day.

Scotland’s real secret weapon against the Wallabies was revealed earlier this week – the fearsome “Greenock Granny”. Her real name is Jacqueline Thomson, a 77-year-old from Melbourne who has been specially flown to Edinburgh to cheer on her equally feared grandson, Sione Tuipulotu, the rampaging centre and Australia-born star who captains Scotland this weekend.

Thomson left Scotland when she was a child but her Greenock roots are why her grandson will wear a blue jersey not a gold one at Murrayfield. Tuipulotu is a Frankston boy and, in 2016, became the Melbourne Rebels’ first Victorian-born player. But after 19 Super Rugby games over three seasons he joined the Japanese Top League in 2019 before defecting to the Glasgow Warriors in 2021.

Tuipulotu debuted for the Warriors alongside 14-Test Wallaby flanker Jack Dempsey, a Sydney boy whose grandfather was from Glasgow. The Scots liked what they saw of both – Dempsey won player of the year, Tuipulotu was called into the Test squad. Monday will be the 27-year-old’s 30th Test and fourth as the Bravehearts’ captain. Coach Gregor Townsend says he sets “the emotional tone and mindset” of the team.

The same was said of Johnnie Wallace, captain-coach of the Australian tourists who played the first rugby Test against Scotland in 1927. Like Tuipulotu, the barnstorming centre had great speed and was a famous finisher. The similarities didn’t end there. Born and raised Australian but from Caledonian stock, Wallace won nine Test caps for Scotland while studying as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University. He lined up for his first Test with Eric Liddell, 1924 Olympic gold medallist of Chariots of Fire fame.

Related: Turning green shoots into gold: the man behind the scenes in the Wallabies’ revival | Angus Fontaine

Wallace led Scotland’s first slam in 1925 and Scots loved him as they love Tuipulotu. “Wallace is undoubtedly the most skilful three-quarter playing,” said newspapers of the day. “He is a genius, a veritable artist – the crowd cheered him time after time.” But Wallace couldn’t inspire victory for his birth nation at Murrayfield two years later, bundled into touch late on an icy field attempting to overturn the final 10-8 scoreline.

After a week of sub-zero temperatures, icy conditions are forecast for this match too. Back home in Australia, the nation is sweltering into summer and Wallabies fans are burning up with excitement at the revival of the past fortnight. Beating England stoked old coals, smashing Wales got new flames of hope going. But beating Scotland and setting up a grand slam decider against Ireland would start an inferno.