Rachel Malcolm admits Scotland are 'frustrated' after heavy Wallaroos defeat

Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm admitted she was “frustrated” with her team’s performance in the aftermath of their 56-12 loss to Australia in Sydney.

Desiree Miller and Amelia Whitaker scored a brace each for the hosts, while Maya Stewart, Waiaria Ellis, Brittany Merlo and Eva Karpani also got on the scoresheet.

Scotland have now won just once in 2026 – their only victory coming back in April.

It was Scotland’s second consecutive defeat to the Wallaroos, following a 30-10 loss at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh last month.

Defeat has also compounded an already miserable WXV Global Series in which Evie Gallagher’s return to world-class form is the only thing to write home about.

Under interim head coach Dave Butcher, the mood around the Scotland camp appears to have improved. Results, however, have yet to follow.

“Just frustrated,” Malcolm conceded in her full-time interview. “I think we’re probably better than what the last two results have shown.

“Australia have been outstanding, the way that they’ve upped their game physically and taken it to us.

“That’s the bit that we’re probably not getting right. We need to be a little bit more ruthless in how we take our chances.

“Definitely frustrated. But it’s a young team and we’re battling. I think you see that with the subs coming on and making an impact.”

It is easy to forget while looking at the full-time scoreline that Scotland actually opened the scoring with a bright start at Accor Stadium.

In truth, much of what followed Katie Buchanan’s try in the opening exchanges would rather soon be forgotten.

Ultimately, the Wallaroos scored eight tries to Scotland’s two. The visitors lost the ball a whopping 17 times and even conceded 10 penalties.

It is hard to keep momentum when handing the ball back to your opponents roughly every five minutes.

Malcolm and her teammates will have just six days to prepare for their third Test against Australia when the two teams meet at GIO Stadium in Canberra to finish their WXV Global Series 2026 campaigns. And there is work to do for the visitors.

“When we had the momentum at the start of the game, we probably could have converted more of our points,” she said.

“Then, when we don’t have the momentum, not conceding as many points.

“It’s really a maturity thing, learning to deal with the ebbs and flows of a game and not concede as many points when we don’t have that momentum.”