Scotland ‘not at their best’ as Gregor Townsend rues All Blacks defeat

Gregor Townsend said Scotland had failed to deliver the performance they expected after the All Blacks scored 19 unanswered second-half points to win 43-21 at Murrayfield.

Ewan Ashman’s hat-trick kept the hosts within three points at the interval, but Scotland did not score again as New Zealand extended their unbeaten record in the fixture to 34 matches.

For Townsend, the frustration went beyond another missed opportunity to beat the All Blacks. His side had prepared well, he felt, but had not brought that standard into the match.

Townsend disappointed by Scotland performance

“I’m clearly disappointed that we didn’t put one of our best performances out there,” Townsend said, in comments reported by Reuters.

The Scotland coach said producing a performance that players and supporters could take pride in was central to their preparation. He felt they had fallen short.

It was Scotland’s first Test since July. Townsend said the experience had exposed their need for more time under pressure, despite encouraging work in training.

Tuipulotu points to breakdown problems

Captain Sione Tuipulotu also felt Scotland had failed to sustain the parts of their game that could trouble New Zealand.

“At times they made a mess of our breakdown,” he said.

Scotland’s first-half scoring had kept the possibility of a breakthrough alive. Ashman supplied all three tries, with Finn Russell converting each, while New Zealand had Peter Lakai and Wallace Sititi sent to the sin-bin.

Yet the visitors still led 24-21 at the break. Scotland had stayed in touch without taking control, and the second half brought a decisive shift.

All Blacks pull clear after half-time

Josh Moorby scored first after the restart before Tuipulotu was shown a yellow card for repeated team infringements.

Beauden Barrett then crossed for his second try of the afternoon, with Damian McKenzie’s conversion stretching New Zealand’s advantage to 15 points.

Replacement hooker Asafo Aumua added their seventh try to complete the scoring. Scottish Rugby’s match centre records a second half in which the visitors took command and Scotland were unable to add to their interval total.

Read our full Scotland 21-43 New Zealand match report for the scoring and key moments.

Australia next for Scotland

Scotland return to Murrayfield to face Australia next weekend, with the challenge of turning Townsend’s frustration into a response.

Ashman’s finishing gave them a foothold against New Zealand. Sustaining their attack and protecting possession when the pressure increased proved more difficult.

Further results, reaction and team news are available in our international rugby coverage.