Scotland captain Chris Paterson fears Australia’s defeat to Ireland could serve as a galvanising factor for the Wallabies as they look to end a disappointing tour of Europe on a high at Murrayfield.
The Scots will be aiming to emulate Ireland, who beat the southern hemisphere side 21-6 at Lansdowne Road but Paterson predicts the tourists will be hungry to restore some battered pride.
He said: "The only thing the Australians will take from it is the disappointment that they didn’t fire on all cylinders, and as proud rugby men they’ll be looking to turn that around this weekend’
"It would be ridiculous to write off the Australians because the quality of players they have is phenomenal. I watched the first half-hour of their game against Wales at the start of the tour and it was absolutely outstanding. There is immense talent there.
"Ireland were outstanding, in the first half especially. Everyone knows how difficult it is to play in Ireland at the best of times, and you could see they were much more comfortable playing in that wind and rain, which meant they could control their game better in those conditions."
Paterson expects Australia to return to their favoured expansive style of play against Scotland – with stand-off Stephen Larkham calling the shots.
He said: "I fully believe that they will play an expansive game on Saturday.
Larkham is a world-class player and he showed that with his form early on against Wales.
"He really makes Australia tick. He has the ability to bring the ball quite hard to the line, yet still deliver wide passes."
