Often in sport the most memorable occasions, be it a major cup final or a mere friendly, are those which provide us with the biggest upsets. Teams or individuals ranked a world apart from their opponents, and yet somehow getting the job done against all the odds, stand out in the memory more than any other clashes.
It was on this day in 2012 that a rudderless Scotland defied expectations by inflicting defeat on second-in-the-world Australia in front of 20,000 disappointed home supporters, recording one of the greatest results in their recent history in the process.
Showing true nerves of steel to step up in the dying seconds, Greig Laidlaw refused to let the driving wind and rain get the better of him as he kicked the ball clean through the sticks to pull off the unlikely feat for Scotland.
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That Andy Robinson's men headed into the game on the back of a seven-game losing run, coupled with the fact that they had not won in Australia since 1982, it is fair to say that this impressive triumph over the two-time world champions was an occasion to remember for Scotland supporters.
It was the kicking of Laidaw which allowed the visitors to edge ahead before the half-hour mark at the Hunter Stadium, but Mike Harris slotted home a penalty of his own to cut the deficit to just three points at the end of a low-scoring first half in Newcastle.
As expected, Australia dominated things after the break, eager not to fall to successive defeats against a Scotland side who had finished that year's Six Nations rock bottom and without a single point. The Northern Hemisphere outfit were truly out of form and seemingly without a great deal of hope, yet still they stood firm.
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Debutant Harris did level the contest up with a second successful pen, resuming normal service for a side ranked second in the world, but he booted wide from long range when given a chance to win the match. It proved costly, too, because in the final minute Scotland won a penalty from a scrum, which Greig duly converted to make it 9-6.
"When we had the ball we made the most of it and eventually it came our way," skipper Ross Ford said at the time, reflecting on a memorable result for the Scots. "It was phenomenal. Australia are a great team and to win away from home is fantastic."
With the 9-8 triumph at Murrayfield in 2009 also fresh in their mind, Scotland were unable to make it a hat-trick of triumphs over the Wallabies when they fell to a 21-15 defeat in their most recent outing in 2013. In fact, those back-to-back wins truly stand out, with just two victories to their name in the last 19 meetings.
Scotland believed that they could pull off victory three years ago, even after seeing their far more illustrious opponents pull things back. It is this fighting spirit that they will need to call upon in three months' time if they are to have any hope of reaching the latter stages of the Rugby World Cup.
Australia: Morahan, Tomane, A. Faingaa, Harris, Ioane, Barnes, Genia, Slipper, Moore, Palmer, Timani, Sharpe, Dennis, Pocock, Higginbotham
Replacements: Alexander for Palmer (70), Simmons for Timani (55), Hooper for Dennis (65). Not Used: S. Faingaa, Phipps, McCabe, Ashley-Cooper
Scotland: Hogg, Ansbro, De Luca, Scott, Lamont, Laidlaw, Blair, Grant, Ford, Murray, Kellock, Gray, Strokosch, Rennie, Barclay
Replacements: Brown for Lamont (39), Cusiter for Blair (64). Not Used: Lawson, Welsh, Ryder, Vernon, Weir
Daniel Lewis
