'Match made in heaven' - how switch of allegience to Scotland is paying off for back-rower

Jack Dempsey is relishing the “ultimate test” as Scotland bid to prove they have grown since their last meeting with world champions South Africa 14 months ago.

Gregor Townsend’s side struggled to lay a glove on the Boks as they lost 18-3 in a World Cup pool-stage match in Marseille in September 2023. South Africa went on to win the tournament for the second successive time, but Dempsey is excited to see how his team fare against them in Sunday’s Autumn Test at Murrayfield.

“I’m itching for it,” said the Australia-born back-rower. “It’s the ultimate test. They’re the back-to-back defending champions, the best in the world. And they deserve to have that crown. They’re the ultimate litmus test in terms of being a professional rugby player.

“We’re at a point now where we want to see how much we’ve grown from the World Cup, from when we played them last time. They’re the best country for eight years straight. We’re not under any illusion about what’s coming, but we’re glad to have them here and glad to play against the best in the world.”

Scotland back-rower Jack Dempsey has flourished on the international stage since switching allegience from Australia. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SRU

The last meeting between the teams was Scotland’s lowest-scoring outing of the past five years and the only time they have failed to score a try for four years. But Dempsey believes his team need to concentrate on delivering their best performance rather than focusing on the scoreboard.

“I think in Test rugby, the scoreline never truly depicts what happened, depending on how you look at it,” said Dempsey. “We know that they like to take threes (kick penalties). And we know we like to score tries. We’re not thinking about whatever the points were last time we played and whatever it will be this time. We just want to test ourselves and play our best game. That’s really all we’re thinking about.”

Dempsey has won 20 caps and established himself as a fixture in Scotland’s back row since switching allegiance from Australia to make his debut for Townsend’s team two years ago.

“Yeah, I’ve loved it,” he said. “Two years already, it feels a lot longer. There have been ups and downs like anything, but I’ve loved every second of it. I said at the time to get that second chance in the Test arena was a dream come true again.

“But to fast-forward two years and the bonds I’ve created, some of the friends I’ve made, the experiences while I’ve been over here have been unreal. It’s just been a good fit. I said the same thing when I moved to Glasgow, where I think there was just a bit of a need for a guy with my kind of skillset to come. It’s just kind of been a match made in heaven with the style Gregor wants to play, with the history and the kind of identity that Scotland have always kind of had and played with.

“They want to be an exciting team. They don’t want to play a boring brand, which is not what I want to do. I think all those things combined have just added to positive results and experiences.”