All Blacks beat Scotland — New Zealand beat Scotland 43-21 at Murrayfield on Saturday, scoring seven tries to three in a Nations Championship match that turned decisively after half-time. The All Blacks led only 24-21 at the break, but controlled the second half completely, outscoring the hosts 19-0.
Scotland hooker Ewan Ashman scored a first-half hat-trick, a historic feat for his country, but it was not enough to prevent a 32nd defeat in 34 Tests against New Zealand. The visitors have now won 32 and drawn two of the nations’ meetings since 1905.
Fast start and first-half exchanges
New Zealand opened the scoring through Wallace Sititi, who burst through a gap from a clever close-range line-out. Scotland responded when Kyle Rowe’s 50-22 kick gave them field position, and Ashman drove over from a driven line-out. Finn Russell converted to put Scotland ahead by two points.
The lead changed hands again as New Zealand punished Scotland’s penalties. Ethan de Groot and Codie Taylor both scored from line-out drives, with Damian McKenzie converting both, and the All Blacks led 17-7 at the end of the first quarter.
New Zealand’s Peter Lakai was sin-binned for persistent offsides, and Ashman scored his second try while he was off. Beauden Barrett then scored the first of his two tries, but Sititi was yellow-carded for going off his feet, and Ashman completed his hat-trick from another line-out maul. Russell’s conversion made it 24-21 at half-time.
Second-half control
The second half was one-way traffic. New Zealand forced errors and penalties, and Josh Moorby scored from a scrum after a Jordie Barrett skip pass. McKenzie converted to make it 29-21. Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu was then sin-binned, and New Zealand capitalised immediately: Quinn Tupaea and McKenzie combined to send Beauden Barrett over for his second try. McKenzie’s conversion made it 36-21 after 50 minutes.
Asafo Aumua completed the scoring with a well-worked set-piece try, converted by McKenzie, to seal a 43-21 victory. The second half was a ruthless exhibition of All Black class and might, and Scotland had no answer after the interval.
Key performers
Beauden Barrett was outstanding for New Zealand, scoring two tries and playing a key role in the second-half dominance. Sititi and Lakai were prominent in the back row, while McKenzie kicked four conversions. For Scotland, Ashman’s hat-trick was the highlight, and Russell converted all three tries.
The result leaves Scotland still waiting for a first win over New Zealand, a wait that now stretches back to 1905. The All Blacks, meanwhile, continue their Nations Championship campaign with a statement victory.
