Scotland 22-23 Australia: Vern Cotter bemoans hosts' poor luck

Scotland head coach Vern Cotter felt his side "didn't get the rub of the green" as they were beaten 23-22 by Australia at Murrayfield.

Tevita Kuridrani's converted try snatched victory for the Wallabies in the final four minutes of the match.

"We'll always come back to the old saying of fine margins," said Cotter, whose side outscored their visitors three tries to two.

"I wouldn't necessarily say the best team won."

This was a second agonising defeat for Scotland against Australia in 13 months after their controversial World Cup quarter-final exit at Twickenham.

Centre Huw Jones scored two first-half tries and Jonny Gray's score made it 22-13 to the Scots after 48 minutes.

However, a Bernard Foley penalty closed the gap to six points and Kuridrani's 76th-minute try, converted by Foley, proved decisive.

Choosing his words carefully, Cotter lamented the second-half penalty count that tipped heavily in Australia's favour, but said his team showed tremendous character.

"I'm incredibly proud of the way the players played that game," he said. "There are things we can and can't control and we'll focus on the things we can.

"I just think we didn't get the rub of the green at times. I thought the team adapted well to injuries and it might have just come down to... I've got to be careful what I say.

"There were eight penalties against us in the second half and only two for us; there were a number of things. But that is something we can't focus on."

Cotter added his players were "a little bit emotional, once again".

Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw felt his side were on the wrong end of several marginal decisions, with flanker John Barclay conceding two contentious breakdown penalties.

"I think we got harshly penalised on a few occasions and that just gave them easy field position," said Laidlaw.

"There were a couple of times we kicked the ball out and I reckon we should've just kicked long and tried to get the chase rather than give them set-piece in our half.

"Some of the discipline and decisions went their way and we gave them field position in our half."

Despite the frustration, Laidlaw believes the team are growing more fluent, cohesive and confident on the field.

"We believe we're so much better and more organised and know what each other are doing," said the scrum-half. "I think that's starting to come through in our performances.

"We're pretty much in every single game we play now; it's just about getting a little bit of luck to get over that line.

"One of my conversions just clipped the inside of the post; the thickness of a lick of paint and that goes through and we're probably home and hosed - and, unfortunately, we cough up a try at the end.

"We feel so close and we're massively frustrated we've not won."