New Zealand overpower Scotland with seven tries

New Zealand proved too strong for Scotland at Murrayfield, as the All Blacks won 43-21 in the Nations Championship, scoring seven tries to Scotland’s three, Sky Sports reports. The result also extended Scotland’s winless run against New Zealand in this series of contests, the outlet says.

The opening stages had suggested a tight contest. Scotland fell 10 points behind, then pulled to within three before the break. Ewan Ashman scored all three of Scotland’s tries. New Zealand, however, dominated the second half; Scotland did not score in that period, according to Sky Sports.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend acknowledged that his side could not build on its better spells. “Some of our attacking play was excellent in that first half, but we couldn’t get the ball in that third quarter,” he said. He also described the challenge of regaining momentum after Scotland went down to 14 men: “It was difficult to wrestle that momentum back, so a disappointing day.”

Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu also pointed to a lack of accuracy after the interval. He felt his side could have added to its points tally before the break, but was not accurate enough afterwards. The captain also accepted responsibility for the discipline issue: “I got sent to the bin. Ten minutes with your captain off is not going to be good for any team. I take full responsibility for that.”

Townsend’s assessment echoed his captain’s: Scotland had found attacking opportunities in the first half but could not reproduce that threat afterwards. Against a New Zealand side that scored seven tries, the contrast proved costly in a match that ended in a clear away victory.