Head coach Gregor Townsend immediately called for a rematch with New Zealand after Scotland let another historic victory slip through their fingers at Murrayfield.
Familiar Failures Haunt Scotland
Knowing full well his team had missed a golden opportunity, Townsend spoke of his desire to get straight back in the ring against the All Blacks. 'I would love to play New Zealand again next week because of what we learned from that performance,' the Scotland head coach stated in his post-match assessment.
This sentiment echoed the old promise of jam tomorrow, an all too familiar theme during Townsend's tenure. The critical question remains: if these teams met again next weekend, would anyone genuinely back Scotland to win?
This was a movie Scottish rugby fans have seen too many times before. History was within Scotland's grasp, just as in 2017 and 2022, yet once again they fell short. The days of Scotland fulfilling the role of plucky underdog or brave loser should belong to the past.
Costly Errors Prove Decisive
Scotland competed effectively for approximately 25 minutes but were otherwise far too error-prone. Captain Sione Tuipulotu captured the mood perfectly: 'I don't want to say I'm proud and we played well, because I think we're a better team than that now.'
The match began disastrously when New Zealand scored after just three minutes. Scotland allowed Josh Lord, a 6ft 9ins lock, to pick up at the base of a ruck and charge straight through their defence. Ewan Ashman completely switched off, not even looking at the ball when Lord collected it and galloped upfield before offloading for Cam Roigard to score.
Worse was to come on the cusp of half-time when Scotland switched off again. Wallace Sititi carved them open down the blindside, selling a dummy to Darcy Graham before feeding Will Jordan. This try came when New Zealand were down to 14 men - from Scotland's perspective, it was absolutely criminal.
Missed Opportunities and McKenzie's Magic
The All Blacks played 30 minutes of this match with 14 men after collecting three yellow cards, yet Scotland failed to punish them sufficiently. They were held up over the try line twice and wasteful with several other scoring chances.
Despite fighting back from 17-0 down at half-time to level at 17-17 on the hour mark, the cold reality is that Scotland only performed well for about 25 minutes. That's simply not enough to beat the All Blacks, a team renowned for delivering in crucial moments.
Damian McKenzie proved the difference maker. His 50-22 kick stabbed Scottish hearts, followed by his spectacular contorting finish for the winning try - a movement that would have left mere mortals requiring spinal surgery. McKenzie then split the posts with a booming penalty to seal the game, earning man of the match honours despite playing just over half an hour.
Given this isn't a vintage All Blacks team and they played with 14 men for half an hour, Scotland may never get a better chance to beat them. This was their big moment, and they fell short.
With England likely to defeat the All Blacks at Twickenham next weekend based on current form, Scotland must now focus on Argentina in what has become a must-win encounter for Townsend at Murrayfield. Victory over the Pumas becomes paramount for a coach under increasing pressure.
