New Zealand maintained their unbeaten record against Scotland with a convincing 43-21 win at Murrayfield on Saturday. The match was part of the Nations Championship, and the All Blacks dominated the second half to secure the victory. Veteran back Beauden Barrett scored two tries, bringing his Test tally to 50, while Wallace Sititi, Ethan de Groot, Peter Lakai, Josh Moorby, and Asafo Aumua also crossed the line for the Kiwis.
Scotland's Hooker Ewan Ashman notched a hat-trick of tries in the first half, all converted by Finn Russell. However, the hosts struggled with errors and yellow cards, which impacted the outcome of the match. Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu expressed disappointment with the team's performance, saying they were "nowhere near accurate enough" in the second half and couldn't stick with New Zealand.
The first half was a closely contested affair, with seven tries scored. The All Blacks signaled their attacking intent early, with Sititi bursting over in the fourth minute. Scotland responded immediately, with Ashman scoring from a lineout. The Kiwis took a 10-point lead in the 20th minute, with De Groot and Lakai scoring tries.
Yellow cards for Lakai and Sititi meant New Zealand were effectively down to 14 men for the rest of the half. However, Barrett crossed for his first try, and Ashman completed his treble. At halftime, Scotland still held hopes of ending their 121-year winless streak against New Zealand, who have now won 32 of 34 meetings between the sides.
The second half was a different story, with New Zealand stepping up a gear to score three more tries. Josh Moorby's 48th-minute try in the corner was followed by Barrett's second score, and substitute Aumua burst through to claim the last of the All Blacks' 19 unanswered second-half points in the 67th minute.
The gulf in class was evident after the break, with New Zealand looking much more cohesive. They had an eight-match tour of South Africa and two Bledisloe Cup matches against Australia since July, when Scotland last played. All Blacks' man of the match Quinn Tupaea praised his team's performance, saying they loved playing this style of rugby.
The win keeps New Zealand alongside South Africa, who thumped Italy earlier on Saturday, on 20 points at the top of the Southern Hemisphere standings. However, defeat for Scotland comes as a heavy blow to their hopes of topping the Northern Hemisphere section. The loss was a disappointing one for Scotland, with Tuipulotu acknowledging that they had left points out there in the first half.
Key points
- New Zealand maintained their unbeaten record against Scotland with a 43-21 win.
- The All Blacks dominated the second half to secure the victory.
- Scotland's defeat deals a heavy blow to their hopes of topping the Northern Hemisphere section.
