Scotland's long-awaited dream of a maiden victory over New Zealand was cruelly shattered at Murrayfield as the All Blacks secured a hard-fought 25-17 win, extending their unbeaten record against the Scots to 33 matches.
Dominant First Half Puts All Blacks in Control
The visitors made a blistering start, silencing the home crowd within just three minutes. Cam Roigard sliced through the Scottish defence to score after a spectacular one-handed pick-up and drive from lock Josh Lord near the halfway line. Beauden Barrett successfully converted to give New Zealand an early 7-0 lead.
Scotland responded with significant pressure, twice coming agonisingly close to scoring. Winger Darcy Graham was first held up over the line by a desperate All Blacks defence. Despite a yellow card shown to New Zealand's Leroy Carter for a professional foul, the Scots failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage. The half ended in disaster for the hosts as Will Jordan finished off a move in the corner, with Barrett's conversion sending the teams into the break with the score at 17-0.
Stunning Scottish Fightback Levels the Contest
The second half witnessed a remarkable transformation from Gregor Townsend's side. Playing with renewed vigour, hooker Ewan Ashman powered over from a driven lineout maul in the 46th minute, with Finn Russell adding the extras.
The momentum swung decisively in Scotland's favour when All Blacks captain Ardie Savea was sent to the sin bin for collapsing the maul. Scotland immediately made the extra man count, with Kyle Steyn crossing on the left wing after a slick pass from Blair Kinghorn. Russell's conversion brought the score to 17-14, and the Murrayfield roar reached a crescendo when he slotted a penalty on the hour mark to level the scores at 17-17.
McKenzie Seals Victory for New Zealand
With the match hanging in the balance and New Zealand reduced to 14 men for a third time after Wallace Sititi's yellow card, it was substitute Damian McKenzie who proved to be the match-winner. The fly-half contorted his body to score a crucial try in the 73rd minute, and despite missing the conversion, he sealed the victory with a magnificent 45-metre penalty just minutes from full-time.
The result means Scotland's search for a historic first win over the All Blacks, a quest that has now lasted 120 years, must continue, leaving players and fans heartbroken once again after a performance that promised so much.
