Scotland vs Australia LIVE rugby: Result and final score as Blair Kinghorn misses game-winning penalty

Scotland: 15. Ollie Smith, 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Mark Bennett, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Duhan van der Merwe, 10. Blair Kinghorn, 9. Ali Price; 8. Matt Fagerson, 7. Hamish Watson, 6. Jamie Ritchie (captain), 5. Grant Gilchrist, 4. Sam Skinner, 3. Zander Fagerson, 2. Dave Cherry, 1. Pierre Schoeman.

Reserves: 16. George Turner, 17. Jamie Bhatti, 18. WP Nel, 19. Glen Young, 20. Jack Dempsey, 21. George Horne, 22. Ross Thompson, 23. Damien Hoyland.

Australia: 15. Tom Banks, 14. Andrew Kellaway, 13. Len Ikitau, 12. Hunter Paisami, 11. Tom Wright, 10. Bernard Foley, 9. Tate McDermott; 8. Rob Valetini, 7. Michael Hooper, 6. Jed Holloway, 5. Cadeyrn Neville, 4. Nick Frost, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. David Porecki, 1. James Slipper (captain).

Reserves: 16. Folau Fainga’a, 17. Matt Gibbon, 18. Taniela Tupou, 19. Ned Hanigan, 20. Pete Samu, 21. Nic White, 22. Noah Lolesio, 23. Jock Campbell.

Gareth Thomas maintains “maverick” Finn Russell simply isn’t worth the risk.

The fly-half’s controversial omission continues to dominate the build-up to Scotland’s four-match Autumn international campaign, starting against Australia at Murrayfield on Saturday.

And Wales legend Thomas, no shrinking violet himself on or off the field, believes boss Gregor Townsend was right to freeze the 30-year-old out of his squad.

“He’s probably Scotland’s greatest-ever individual player,” said Thomas. “But no individual is bigger than the team.

“If an individual doesn’t contribute to the team, that could end up being your downfall. When you have a great player like Finn, a maverick, there’s also the prospect of an individual failure.

“When he tries things that come off, everybody cheers it. But when they don’t come off, who’s cleaning up after him all the time?”

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Glasgow lock Scott Cummings has been ruled out of Scotland’s Autumn Series with a broken toe. Cummings’ place in the squad is taken by Edinburgh’s Glen Young, who has been named among the substitutes.

Glasgow full-back Ollie Smith is given his first home start after making his debut against Argentina during the summer tour of South America. Jamie Ritchie will captain the side for the first time since being appointed as Stuart Hogg’s successor, while Blair Kinghorn starts at number 10 after the controversial decision not to select Finn Russell.

Glasgow back-rower Jack Dempsey, who won 14 caps with the Aussies prior to making himself available for Scotland following a recent change in World Rugby’s international eligibility rules, is in contention to make his debut off the bench against the nation of his birth.

The team for this Saturday is made up entirely of Scottish-based players, with the likes of Adam Hastings, Chris Harris, Josh Bayliss and Hogg unavailable as the match falls outside the international window.

For Australia, Michael Hooper will return after missing the entire Rugby Championship because the back-row forward was not in the right frame of mind to play. Hooper hasn’t, though, reclaimed the captaincy, which remained with prop James Slipper when the Wallabies lineup was announced Thursday.

Fullback Tom Banks also returned after recovering from a broken arm while scrumhalf Tate McDermott will earn his first international start of 2022. Lock Nick Frost will make just his second start for Australia and partners Cadeyrn Neville in the second row.

The match will kick off at 5:30pm BST on Saturday 29 October.

How can I watch Scotland vs Australia?

The match will be shown live on Amazon Prime Video, which can be accessed across a range of digital devices. If you’re not an Amazon Prime Video subscriber start a free 30-day trial here.

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live updates as Scotland take on Australia in the opening weekend of the Autumn Nations Series at Murrayfield. Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend’s decision to drop fly-half Finn Russell has been the big talking points ahead of the Tests against the Wallabies, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina, while Jamie Ritchie takes over the captaincy from Stuart Hogg.

Scotland had a disappointing Six Nations campaign but they have an impressive record against Australia in recent times. The Scots have won their last three matches against the Wallabies, including last year’s 15-13 victory at Murrayfield, but Australia remain a work in progress under Dave Rennie and had some encouraging performances in this year’s Rugby Championship.

The visitors, who also play England and Wales in the Autumn Nations Series, welcome back Michael Hooper to the side but Scotland are without the likes of Hogg, Adam Hastings and Chris Harris as the match falls outside the international window.