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No CEO, no head coach, but the All Blacks can fire pot shots at Australia
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Scotland confirm autumn games include a Sunday All Blacks visit
By Kim Ekin
Scotland will host Australia, Fiji, the All Blacks and Argentina in the 2022 Autumn Nations Series on consecutive weekends from Saturday, October 29. The four matches will take place at BT Murrayfield following on from last year’s Autumn Nations Series which saw supporters return to the stadium with three sell-out crowds in attendance.
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Australia will be first up, led by head coach Dave Rennie, who was formerly in charge at Glasgow Warriors, and assisted by former Scotland defence coach Matt Taylor. The Wallabies are currently sitting sixth in the world rankings, one place ahead of Scotland, but the hosts will be aiming to defeat their Aussie counterparts for a fourth consecutive time, having edged a close encounter 15-13 when the sides last met last year.
Fiji will follow on Saturday, November 5, and mark the first time the two sides have met since 2018 when Tommy Seymour scored a hat-trick among eight home tries in an entertaining 54-17 win for the hosts.
The All Blacks will then make their long-awaited return to BT Murrayfield having last visited Scotland in 2017. Set against the backdrop of a full stadium under lights, Scotland almost stole the show during that game when Stuart Hogg made an electric late break only to be denied by a superb Beauden Barrett cover tackle.
Scotland’s final test will be against Argentina, whom Scotland will be familiar with after playing them in a three-Test summer tour this July. The sides last met in Edinburgh 2018, with Sean Maitland’s try and nine points from the boot of Greig Laidlaw helping the hosts to a 14-9 victory at BT Murrayfield.
Head coach Gregor Townsend said: “The Autumn Nations Series provides a great opportunity for us to take on some of the leading teams in the southern hemisphere in front of our supporters as we look to improve ahead of next year’s Six Nations and the World Cup.
“We know Australia well having played them a number of times over recent years and it’s always a special occasion when they come to BT Murrayfield. Fiji are an exciting team to watch with their free-flowing and powerful brand of rugby, and they can be one of the best teams in the world when they get their game right.
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“Our contest against New Zealand will be eagerly anticipated by our supporters and players alike, providing world-class opposition. We’re really looking forward to playing them after missing out on the opportunity on two occasions over the past two years due to covid.
“Our final fixture will be against Argentina which will be another familiar challenge for our squad on the back of this summer’s tour to South America. This final fixture means we will have played three out of the four Rugby Championship sides in a month which will be a great experience for our players.”
Autumn Nations Series Fixtures 2022
Scotland v Australia | Saturday, October 29, kick-off 5.30pm
Scotland v Fiji | Saturday, November 5, kick-off 1pm
Scotland v New Zealand | Sunday, November 13, kick-off 2.15pm
Scotland v Argentina | Saturday, November 19, kick-off 3.15pm
