Kinghorn and Graham return as Scotland eye Wallabies response at Murrayfield

Townsend turns to his proven finishers

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has recalled Blair Kinghorn and record try-scorer Darcy Graham to his starting side for Sunday's Nations Championship meeting with Australia at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, making just two changes to the team beaten 43-21 by New Zealand last weekend.

Kinghorn returns at full-back in place of Kyle Rowe, who drops out of the matchday 23 altogether, while Graham takes the left wing from Jamie Dobie, who moves to the bench. Vice-captain Kyle Steyn continues on the right wing, completing a back three packed with experience and pace.

The changes are a direct response to a second half in Edinburgh last Saturday in which Scotland failed to score a point while the All Blacks ran in seven tries. Townsend has told his players that individual discipline will decide Sunday's match, and he has backed two British and Irish Lions to help turn the tide.

Graham's race against time

Graham's return has come sooner than anyone in the Scotland camp expected. The 29-year-old tore a bicep in Edinburgh's pre-season friendly against Harlequins and was initially expected to miss the autumn Tests, but he recovered ahead of schedule and returned to club duty with Edinburgh last month.

The Hawick wing is Scotland's all-time leading try-scorer with 38 tries in 57 Tests, a record he claimed outright in March with two tries in the 50-40 Six Nations win over France at Murrayfield. He also scored four tries in a single match against Fiji at the same ground in November 2024, and Townsend will hope that instinct for the tryline can punish a Wallabies defence that conceded 45 points to England at Twickenham last weekend.

Kinghorn, meanwhile, has been restored after starting last week's defeat on the bench. The Toulouse full-back, who has won three Top 14 titles since leaving Edinburgh in December 2023, brings a long kicking game and the ability to join the line from deep, qualities Scotland lacked when they were pinned in their own half against New Zealand.

Same pack, same half-backs

Elsewhere Townsend has resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes, naming an unchanged starting pack. Hat-trick hero Ewan Ashman continues at hooker between Rory Sutherland and Zander Fagerson, with Gregor Brown, passed fit after a fitness concern, partnering Scott Cummings in the second row.

The back row of Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey is also retained, with Dempsey given another chance at number eight despite a quiet afternoon against the All Blacks. Captain Sione Tuipulotu again partners Huw Jones in midfield, while Ben White and Finn Russell reunite at half-back for their 28th Test start together, a tally that matches the partnership of Townsend himself and former scrum-half Bryan Redpath.

Townsend has also reverted to a 6-2 split on the bench, a call that partly explains Graham's recall. Jamie Dobie covers both scrum-half and wing from the replacements, while Newcastle Red Bulls back-row Ollie Leatherbarrow could make his Scotland debut. The 22-year-old qualifies through his Perth-born grandmother and previously represented Scotland at under-16 and under-20 level.

Wounded Wallabies hit back

Australia arrive in Edinburgh wounded and dangerous. Les Kiss's side lost 45-22 to England at Twickenham last weekend, and the Wallabies coach has responded by recalling fly-half Carter Gordon and back-row Rob Valetini for Sunday's match.

Gordon will direct the attack outside Ryan Lonergan, with Harry Wilson captaining the side from number eight and Valetini adding ball-carrying power to a back row also featuring Fraser McReight. Behind them, Tom Wright starts at full-back, with Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau and Harry Potter completing a backline that can punish any lapse.

Kiss has refused to write off a Scotland side that has kept a settled look, and he needed only one name to explain why. "When you've got Finn Russell, I don't think you think that's predictable at all," the Wallabies coach said. "That boy's pretty special."

What is at stake

The stakes are clear for both teams. Scotland sit fourth in the northern hemisphere standings with 11 points from four matches, two wins and two defeats, while Australia are third in the southern standings with eight points from one win in four. Scotland have also won four of the last five meetings between the sides, although the Wallabies will take heart from the fact that the hosts are still searching for a first win over New Zealand-era opposition this autumn.

Scotland host Japan in their final home match of the inaugural Nations Championship on 21 November before the finals weekend at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November. A win on Sunday would keep Townsend's side in the hunt for a favourable finals-weekend draw; defeat would leave them chasing the pack with one match to play.

For Australia, the equation is simpler and more urgent. A fourth defeat in five Nations Championship matches would deepen the gloom around a Wallabies side still searching for consistency under Kiss, while victory in Edinburgh would revive their campaign and silence a home crowd expecting a response.

Kick-off is at 15:10 GMT on Sunday, and for Townsend the message to his players has been simple: cut out the errors, trust the finishers, and give Murrayfield something to shout about.