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Townsend on Graham return, Wallabies & Scotland's 'true potential'

Head coach Gregor Townsend has been speaking to the media before Scotland face Australia at Murrayfield in the Nations Championship on Sunday (15:10 GMT).

Here are the key lines:

  • Townsend "can't wait" to see Darcy Graham return to the starting 15. Scotland's record try scorer was expected to miss the Autumn Tests with a bicep tear but has made an early return.

  • Back-rower Ollie Leatherbarrow could make his debut off the bench and Townsend says: "He's fitted in really well. What you look for in a player coming in is to do their homework, get up to speed with language, system. It's sometimes difficult coming into a new team, but credit to him that he's been on top of everything."

  • Townsend expects a "fast and physical" game against the Wallabies, who sit third in the Southern Hemisphere table and were beaten 45-22 by England last week. He adds: "They want to be physical, they want to start fast, they want to show a better picture of who they are and try to replicate some of their big performances this year, whether that's away to Argentina or against South Africa. They've picked a strong team and they've got quality players right throughout their team."

  • On Scotland looking defensively vulnerable and conceding seven tries in last Saturday's defeat to New Zealand, Townsend says: "I'd say the issues were more about how we gave New Zealand opportunities within our 22, which had nothing really to do with what we did in defence."

  • He adds he was more disappointed with the first half than the second due to Scotland's wastefulness in attack: "We took three [opportunities], but there were a few more out there that we should have taken."

  • Townsend admits the All Blacks defeat makes it "tougher to finish in the top three," but now it's all about Scotland living up to their "true potential".

  • He adds: "Having eight days [between games] has been good, to be able to have more conversations with the players about why we didn't deliver what we set out to deliver and how we right that wrong this week."

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