London // It took the worst side in the Six Nations to fight the sort of rearguard action the northern hemisphere had hoped for all weekend.
Wales, France and Ireland had succumbed to South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina, and it was left to the Six Nations wooden spoon holders to push Australia to the very limit.
Scotland played with intelligence, vigour and more precision, but it was Australia’s five tries to Scotland’s three that eventually saw the Wallabies home 35-34.
And if it wasn’t for referee Craig Joubert, who ran off the pitch immediately after the game, they might have secured their most famous victory here since they beat England in 1983.
In a game that saw the television match official aid both sides throughout, the game hung in the balance in the final minute with Scotland leading 34-32, having led 16-15 at the break.
A poor Scottish lineout resulted in the ball being knocked forward in to the hands of Scottish replacement Jon Welsh, but replays suggested the ball came off Wallaby substitute Nick Phipps.
Joubert did not go upstairs, and the South African handed Bernard Foley the chance to take Australia in to the semi-final against Argentina back here on Sunday.
The Waratahs’ pivot had missed three kicks at goal in the first half, but having won the Super 15 final with the last kick of the game in 2014 this was just another day at the office.
“It’s a pretty upset dressing room,” Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw said. “We were one kick away from being in the semi-final and we arguably should have been.”
Coach Vern Cotter had elected to use two open-side flankers in Blair Cowan and John Hardie and the loss of Wallaby breakaway David Pocock to injury was keenly felt as Adam Ashley-Cooper, Foley and Tevita Kuridrani all coughed up possession in their own half during the first 40 minutes.
Michael Hooper was a fair deputy, however, and he returned from his one match ban to take up Pocock’s position at the base of the Wallaby driving maul to score just before half-time.
Scotland moved the ball around continually to change the point of attack and through Laidlaw, who kicked 19 points, they orchestrated one-on-ones that the Wallabies struggled to deal with.
Australia had conceded only two tries in the tournament and it was Scotland’s opportunism that saw them cross the whitewash three times.
Australian prop Scott Sio had a poor match and with lock Rob Simmonds they left a huge gap at a breakdown in front of their tryline that Peter Horne simply darted through in the 18th minute. In the second half wing Tommy Seymour profited from a charge down by fly-half Finn Russell, while centre Mark Bennett set up a grandstand finish with his intercept try.
But it was Australia’s ability to rack up the phases that turned what pressure they exerted in to points.
Ashley-Cooper’s opening try came from Australia pulling in the Scottish defence, and when Mitchell crossed in the 30th minute he rounded off his side’s 16th phase.
Mitchell’s second try after the break also came from weight of numbers when Scottish wing Sean Maitland was in the sin bin, and Kuridrani applied the gloss to the hard work of his forwards in the 64th minute.
Australia were roundly jeered by a large proportion of the 77,110 crowd after the match, but coach Michael Cheika is the type of man who treats those two imposters, defeat and victory, equally and felt his side deserved the win.
“You’ve got to live with the ones you get and the ones you don’t,” he said when asked about Joubert’s decision. “It is what it is and you have to deal with it.
“You saw a guy walk through the middle to score a try and we had a charge down and an intercept. If that’s an escape I don’t mind.”
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RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: M'A Yaromoon, Jesus Rosales (jockey), Khalifa Al Neydai (trainer)
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: No Riesgo Al Maury, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Mahmouda, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AS Jezan, George Buckell, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Dolman, Antonio Fresu, Bhupath Seemar
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Results
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Mudaarab, Jim Crowley (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Hassan Al Hammadi.
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Salima Al Reef, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Bainoona, Ricardo Iacopini, Eric Lemartinel.
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: Assyad, Victoria Larsen, Eric Lemartinel.
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1 Dh5,000,000 1,600m
Winner: Mashhur Al Khalediah, Jean-Bernard Eyquem, Phillip Collington.
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
5.30pm Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
6pm Abu Dhabi Championship Listed | Dh180,000 | 1,600m
6.30pm Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
7.30pm Handicap (TB) |Dh100,000 | 2,400m
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
All Black 39-12 British & Irish Lions
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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