Scotland suffered a blow even before the first whistle when captain Sione Tuipulotu was ruled out with a knee injury. Tom Jordan replaced him in the midfield and Rory Darge took over the leadership role.
Both are stand-up operators, but any Scotland team without Tuipulotu is a weaker outfit.
Huge question marks hung over the pair before the start – Scotland having been blown away by the All Blacks last weekend as the Wallabies went down in flames at Twickenham.
Depending on how it went – Scotland were warm favourites – this was going to be some sort of redemption for one and all sorts of retribution for the other. All of that was in the balance right until the end.
Scotland now move above Wales into fourth in the northern hemisphere table, but their lack of a bonus point on Sunday could cost them. They’ll take the win, though.
In the scrappiest encounter, the home side drew first blood. They owned the ball in the early moments, wasted one opportunity to score off a lineout maul, but then struck at the second time of asking.
Finn Russell started it all with a lovely grubber that had Carter Gordon in trouble. It eventually led to a scrum and men over for Scotland. An isolated Fagerson on the right touchline had been calling for it for what must have felt like an age to him. When it did come, he had the easiest job of sliding over.
Russell missed the conversion, but he missed something – or somebody – else just after and it proved costly. One of the many things holding Scotland back is how easy they are to score against – and here was another case for the prosecution.
Rob Valetini and Gordon helped put the Wallabies on the front foot but, when they swept to the left touchline, the whole thing might have come to a halt had Russell made his tackle on Potter. He didn’t – and the wing ran on to finish with class.
Scotland thought they’d scored just after but the ball was deemed out of play – a marginal call – when Kyle Steyn mid-air volleyed to Graham, who touched down.