It isn’t meant to be a depressing statistic, but the last time Scotland beat the Australians at rugby – by 12-7 at Ballymore in Brisbane  – it happened within a few weeks of the birth of Chris Cusiter in the summer of 1982. Since then, the countries have locked horns on 16 occasions, without the Wallabies losing the spring in their step, and that perhaps explains why they have ventured to Edinburgh this weekend with their usual self-assurance, undimmed by the reality that this is a squad bereft of the world-class performers and flair merchants who used to leave the Scots clutching at straws.

Already, their Grand Slam aspirations have been extinguished by Ireland, following the memorable 20-20 draw between the sides in Dublin last Sunday, although the fashion in which they swept past England at Twickenham the previous week testified to the tourists’ myriad strengths. They might lack the calibre of individuals such as David Campese or Michael Lynagh, the Ella brothers, Glen and Mark, and the leadership pedigree of such disparate characters as Nick Farr-Jones and John Eales, but if this is a team in transition, fresh from a dispiriting Tri-Nations campaign, they are keeping their mediocrity well concealed. They will begin as favourites at Murrayfield and deservedly so

None the less, the aforementioned Cusiter and his confreres can surely derive solace from the evident weaknesses in the Australian ranks. In the past, fuelled by human-style Mount Rushmores built in Eales’ mould, there was never any question of their forwards being shoved into reverse – or not until Martin Johnson’s Herculean efforts helped the English lift the World Cup in 2003. But these tourists appear vulnerable, both at the breakdown and in the line-out, where Mark Chisholm and James Horwill patently struggled to cling on to possession against the likes of Paul O’Connell at Croke Park. Given that Scotland have an abundance of options in their pack, and enjoy the luxury of being able to leave somebody of the class of Jason White among their replacements, one suspects the visitors could experience serious problems in what is forecast to be a Murrayfield deluge.

Nor, to be honest, is there much in the back division to worry Andy Robinson’s charges. Newcomer Will Genia has talent to burn and boasts a mesmerising sidestep and blistering burst of acceleration, but Cusiter is likely to get in his face, nag away at his confidence, and stem the danger which the youngster might cause. At 10, Matt Giteau is another potent attacking threat, and could spark havoc if allowed too much room or respect, but the rest of the Australians are no better than their Scottish counterparts and, judging by the fashion in which Brian O’Driscoll brushed through the ineffectual defence of Digby Ioane and Quade Cooper last Sunday, the Lamont brothers, Rory and Sean, and Graeme Morrison will surely fancy their chances of piercing holes in the Wallaby ramparts

The pivotal question is: do the SRU’s finest honestly believe they can go toe-to-toe with their Southern Hemisphere rivals and emerge triumphant? I spoke to David Campese last week and he expressed his hope that the Celtic nations would approach their task with significantly more enterprise and inventiveness than was displayed by England. As the great man declared: “This isn’t the greatest Australian side which has ever come to Britain, but you won’t beat them by being cautious, or standing back and waiting for them to make basic mistakes. They are very well-drilled, are happy to go through the phases to move forward, and have learned to think on their feet. They are also a young side, so there is a lot of pride in them picking up the torch and running with it.”

The message was straightforward and Ireland, to their credit, produced some – but not enough – positive rugby to send the Australians into retreat on several occasions, whereupon the latter looked distinctly vulnerable. It wasn’t quite sufficient to force a victory, but while the tourists’ coach, Robbie Deans, has done a sterling job of papering over the cracks of a lengthy injury list, and there is no denying the efficacy of a back row which features such explosive personalities as Rocky Elsom, George Smith and Wycliff Paul, the last of whom has the capacity to tackle with the bone-crunching ferocity of a latter-day Lomu, Deans’ personnel are less wizards of Oz than students at Hogwarts. Yes, there’s potential, yes, their stranglehold over Scotland speaks for itself and, yes, they are capable of grinding out wins without hitting the heights, but there is no reason why the Scots can’t gain their first success against these opponents in Edinburgh since 1981.

In that instance, Roy Laidlaw was one of the architects of the 24-15 victory. What we wouldn’t give for similar heroics from his fellow scrum-half, Cusiter!