Australia V Scotland: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup 2015 QF
Australia will look to join southern-hemisphere peers New Zealand and South Africa in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup 2015 this Sunday as they prepare to do battle against Vern Cotter's Scotland.
These two teams have met at a World Cup just once before, and it was the Wallabies who claimed a 33-16 victory against their European foes in what happened to also be the quarter-finals of the 2003 tournament.
Scottish fans were buoyed by some uplifting news on Saturday after Sky Sports reported Cotter's side were successful in their appeals against the suspensions of Ross Ford and Jonny Gray, who are free to feature on Sunday.
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As of Saturday night, there was no word on whether the duo would start, but Australia coach Michael Cheika has some concerns of his own with injured duo David Pocock and Israel Folau both out of the tie.
Scotland face a monumental challenge in attempting to overturn an in-form Australia this weekend, but having beaten the Wallabies in two of their last three meetings, hope will be burning for the underdogs.
Read on for a breakdown of all the essential streaming and viewing information needed for Sunday's Twickenham clash, along with a form guide and a roundup of which players to keep an eye on.
Date: Sunday, October 18
Time: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET/(Monday, Oct. 19)1 a.m. AEST/4 a.m. NZDT
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK), Universal Sports (U.S.), Fox Sports (AUS), Sky Go (NZ), SuperSport (SA)
TV Info: ITV (UK), Fox Sports 2 (AUS), Sky Sport 1 (NZ), SuperSport 1 (SA)
Team Lineups
Australia: 15. Kurtley Beale, 14. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Matt Giteau, 11. Drew Mitchell, 10. Bernard Foley, 9. Will Genia, 8. Ben McCalman, 7. Michael Hooper, 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Rob Simmons, 4. Kane Douglas, 3. Sekope Kepu, 2. Stephen Moore (C) 1. Scott Sio
Scotland: 15. Stuart Hogg, 14. Sean Maitland, 13. Mark Bennett, 12. Pete Horne, 11. Tommy Seymour, 10. Finn Russell, 9. Greig Laidlaw (C), 8. Dave Denton, 7. John Hardie, 6. Blair Cowan, 5. Richie Gray, 4. Tim Swinson, 3. WP Nel, 2. Fraser Brown, 1. Alasdair Dickinson
| October 10, 2015 | Australia 15-6 Wales |
| October 3, 2015 | England 13-33 Australia |
| September 27, 2015 | Australia 65-3 Uruguay |
| September 23, 2015 | Australia 28-13 Fiji |
| September 5, 2015 | United States 10-47 Australia |
| October 10, 2015 | Samoa 33-36 Scotland |
| October 3, 2015 | Scotland 16-34 South Africa |
| September 27, 2015 | Scotland 39-16 United States |
| September 23, 2015 | Japan 10-45 Scotland |
| September 5, 2015 | France 19-16 Scotland |
Key Players to Watch
Scott Sio
Backed by the teachings of ex-Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma, Australia prop Scott Sio has played a prominent role in a scrum that rocked Pool A in recent weeks.
The loosehead has done superbly well to displace James Slipper outright, and ex-Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher was full of praise for his former player due to the part he played in a deserved 15-6 win over Wales:
Backed by the returns of Ford and Gray, the Scotland scrum will be as close to full strength as it can hope for, and a set-piece duel against WP Nel is shaping up to give Sio a stern run for his money.
Sio is the only player to have started all four of Australia's pool matches, but the prop has been a surprisingly active member in defence, according to Eat Sleep Rugby:
"Scott Sio leads the tackle count for the Wallabies so far at #rwc2015 with an impressive 34 to his name. pic.twitter.com/sJKFVplNBK
— EatSleepRugby (@eatsleeprugby) October 16, 2015"
Australia's pack have laid a foundation for their entire map to success during this tournament, and Sio will be a major figure in ensuring that dominant streak lives on at Twickenham against the Scots.
| Australia Win | 1-10 |
| Draw | 33-1 |
| Scotland Win | 7-1 |
| Australia -18.5 | 5-4 |
Stuart Hogg
Just as missing full-back Folau is a weapon who can turn a game in an instant, Scotland's Stuart Hogg also sits among that rare breed of superstar who will be crucial in spinning Sunday's tie in favour of the Europeans.
The absence of Folau in particular makes Hogg's job easier, but referee Craig Joubert will be especially aware of any over-the-top theatrics for which the Scotland No. 15 recently raised some eyebrows:
All jokes aside, this stands out as nothing less than the biggest game Hogg has ever played in national team colours, and we've already seen shreds of the line-breaking magic he'll be hoping to employ against the Wallabies.
Not only that, but the Glasgow Warriors star possesses a long-range boot that stands to pick up any spare points Greig Laidlaw may not fancy himself, per ITV Rugby:
Finn Russell has come to play a role in the Scottish back line akin to that which Dan Biggar does for Wales, and his string-pulling will be especially important to unleashing Hogg at his optimum.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
