Scotland’s defensive frailties were laid bare at Murrayfield on Saturday as New Zealand delivered a second-half masterclass to win 43-21, scoring six tries and ending any lingering hopes of a first Scottish victory over the All Blacks in 121 years.
First-half promise undone
For 40 minutes, the contest was a thrill-fest. Ewan Ashman completed a hat-trick and the home crowd was in full voice, sensing something historic might be unfolding. But the All Blacks, as they so often do, absorbed the pressure and responded after the break with a devastating display of accuracy and power, outscoring Scotland 19-0 in the second period.
Beauden Barrett, at 35 still a genius, scored his second try of the day in the 51st minute to effectively end the contest. It was his 50th Test try in his 148th cap, a reminder of the class that Scotland simply could not contain.
Defence the core problem
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend and his players pointed to missed chances, poor discipline and a failure to make the most of first-half possession. All true. But the deeper issue, one that has plagued this team repeatedly, is a defence that leaks points at an alarming rate.
The pattern is not new. Last autumn, Scotland conceded five tries in defeat to Argentina. In victory over France, they shipped 40 points and six tries. Against Ireland, they conceded 43 points and another six tries. In the summer, South Africa put 42 points on them. Even in a win over the Pumas, they gave up 38 points and five tries. Against New Zealand, it was another 40-pointer and another six tries.
Scotland’s attack can be a thing of wonder, capable of creating space and scoring sensational tries against the best teams on the planet. They did it against the All Blacks in the first half, as they had against South Africa, France and Ireland. But the elite teams pride themselves on defence, and that is where Scotland are mired in quicksand.
All Blacks embrace adversity
New Zealand’s response to a difficult first half was telling. Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw was spotted near the media gantry at the break, apparently unruffled, tapping on his phone. There was no panic. Instead, the visitors increased their intensity, accuracy and power, feasting on Scottish mistakes and accelerating away.
Dave Rennie, the former Glasgow Warriors head coach now in charge of the All Blacks, has brought a hard edge to the side in a short time. His team is light years ahead of the version Scott Robertson brought to Scotland 12 months ago. They are not yet at South African level, but they are improving rapidly.
The first try came after just four minutes, when New Zealand used a lineout decoy play to fool the Scottish defence and send Wallace Sititi over. It was a simple piece of deception that has been used by several teams this season, but it was enough to breach Scotland’s rearguard.
Townsend must lift morale for Wallabies test
Townsend now faces the task of repairing shattered morale before Australia visit next Sunday. Scotland have won four of their past five meetings with the Wallabies, all under Townsend, and will be expected to make it five from six.
But the Wallabies will fancy their chances. They will respect Scotland’s ability with ball in hand, but they will also relish the opportunity to expose the same weaknesses that New Zealand found with ease. The frailties in this Scotland team are not hard to spot, and the All Blacks delivered a sobering second-half schooling that laid them bare.
