The Wallabies' attack has "gone to pieces" and the team is suffering from an absence of world class locks.

That's the view of former coach Bob Dwyer after Robbie Deans' men slumped to a new low in a 9-8 loss to ninth-ranked Scotland at Murrayfield.

The defeat - Australia's first loss to Scotland in 27 years - ensured the Wallabies will finish 2009 with a losing record as they've now lost seven, won five and drawn one, with only this week's Test against Wales remaining.

Almost halfway through a World Cup cycle, the Wallabies have logged 14 wins, one draw and 12 losses under New Zealand-born coach Deans.

Former winger Ben Tune noted in TV commentary that the Wallabies' effort lacked composure and was "the sort of performance that ends careers for players and coaches".

That's unlikely to be the case with Deans well-ensconced and rebuilding a youthful squad.

But Dwyer says Australia's lack of technique in most parts of the game was clear for all to see in the Scotland Test.

"I think we're really struggling," 1991 World Cup-winning coach Dwyer told AAP on Sunday.

"I think one of our giant problems is we don't have a second row of top international class.

"No team can win at the top level without good locks. If you look at the great sides, they've all had great locks.

"We haven't got any and apart from that the second thing is our attack has gone to pieces, it's poor in the extreme."

With Dan Vickerman currently based in Britain and Nathan Sharpe injured, Australia are suffering from a paucity of experienced and proven second-rowers.

Dwyer said quality locks were not just important for winning line-outs, but "big bulky guys" like Vickerman, Springbok enforcer Bakkies Botha and England's former captain Martin Johnson had the capacity to hurt opponents and physically halt and drive back the opposition at the tackle.

Both Dwyer and dual World Cup-winning Wallabies centre Tim Horan were concerned at the amount of possession the Wallabies were kicking away.

"I'm not sure if we kick so much because our attack is so bad, or if our attack is so bad because we kick so much," Dwyer said.

Horan was troubled Australia's inability to convert more of their possession into tries, but he remained optimistic about their future.

"I certainly think that the Wallabies have a foundation and are close to a World Cup-winning team," Horan told AAP.

"But they just can't seem to finish teams off, that's a critical factor in a Test match going forward.

"I just think we're not backing our counter-attack as much as what we should be.

"Having belief in the guys who want to counter-attack, that then gives you the potential to maintain possession for periods of time."

Perhaps the modern day Wallabies can take some solace from the fact that both the 1991 and 1999 World Cup-winning teams also went through a difficult mid-term cycle.

In 1989, Australia logged a mediocre 2-4 record, while in 1997 the Wallabies tallied six victories, five losses and a draw.

Horan, who finished on the losing side just 20 times in 80 Tests, emphasised the next World Cup was still a long way away.

"That's not the be all and end all, there's a lot of Test matches in between that are just as important as the World Cup," Horan said.

"People are looking for results today, not in two years time.

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