Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu insists they will be ready to battle through any further snowfall when they take on a red-hot Australia side at Murrayfield on Sunday.
The awful weather brought much of the country to a standstill yesterday, causing travel chaos whilst having a huge impact on sporting fixtures.
Gregor Townsend’s side trained at Murrayfield on Saturday morning, braving the wintery conditions as they prepared to host the Wallabies on Sunday.
Weather warnings remain in place and there is a chance that the players will have to face more freezing temperatures in this Autumn Test series finale.
Tuipulotu warned of the danger posed by the rampant Aussies, who have scored 13 tries over the past fortnight in victories over England and Wales.
The Scotland captain admitted the Wallabies are arguably the form team in this Autumn series, but feels that more adverse weather could help cool their attacking threat.
Sione Tuipulotu trains at snowy Murrayfield ahead of Sunday’s clash with Australia
Scotland players prepare for Australia’s visit to Murrayfield on Sunday
‘When they (the Australians) looked out the window this morning, I’m sure they were like: “Well, let’s hope that doesn’t stick around”. So we’ll have to wait and see what it’s like on game-day,’ said Tuipulotu.
‘We were out there training in it. To be fair, it’s ankle-deep. But Gregor still wanted us down and presenting the ball.
‘When I looked out the window this morning, it was a bit of a surprise when I saw how much snow was falling down.
‘But we’re used to it now. And I’ve played in a couple of snow games in Scotland. I know the forecast says it’s supposed to clear up. But I would assume that we’re more prepared for a snow game than the Australians.’
The Wallabies have looked reborn under head coach Joe Schmidt over these past few weeks, beating England at Twickenham before destroying Wales in Cardiff last weekend.
A native of Melbourne when he was growing up, Tuipulotu knows a lot of the Aussie players and isn’t surprised at the way they have turned it around following a difficult few years.
‘They look like a really good team,’ he said. ‘In terms of being surprised, not really, because I know those players, and I know how talented they are.
‘I suppose they’ve landed a very good coach in Joe Schmidt and he’s got them firing.
‘The talent is there to play that brand of rugby. It’s quite similar to ours, to be honest, so it makes for a pretty good game.
‘They have progressed well since the Rugby Championship and that’s really good to see.
‘They’re a very dangerous team. They’ve beaten two teams that we also beat last year in the Six Nations, so we’re pretty well matched up against them.’
Sione Tuipulotu with his gran Jaqueline Thomson and brother Mosese
Tuipulotu insists he won’t get caught up in the extra emotion of the game against the country where he grew up. He’s delighted that his grandma, Jaqueline, has travelled over to watch him play for Scotland for the first time.
Jaqueline Thomson flew from Australia earlier this week and shocked Sione and his brother Mosese when she appeared to greet them in the dressing room at Murrayfield.
Born in Greenock before moving to Melbourne, Thomson, 77, is the reason why the Tuipulotu brothers qualify to play for Scotland.
‘I know the media think it’s a massive game for me because I’m going back to play the Wallabies, the system that I grew up playing in,’ said Tuipulotu. ‘But I’m just not making it bigger than it already is.
‘With my gran coming over this week, that’s been so special.’
