Is Time Right For Scotland To Finally Beat New Zealand?

Long earlier Scotland had completed their rout of nan USA astatine Murrayfield thoughts turned to nan large 1 adjacent Saturday, nan presence of nan All Blacks for nan first clip successful 3 years.

Scotland are successful bully fettle, not that anybody will spell overboard connected an 85-0 triumph against a broadside that Edinburgh, not to mind Glasgow, would person taken to nan cleaners.

The large surface astatine Murrayfield had New Zealand's crippled pinch Ireland successful Chicago unrecorded and a patient number of punters stayed down to watch it. What they saw was a stop-start first half dominated by a ridiculous reddish paper issued to Tadhg Beirne.

What they besides saw was a level Ireland failing to make a statement break each night, failing to people beyond nan 51st minute, failing successful their line-out 5 times successful 46 minutes and failing to unrecorded pinch an All Blacks broadside that only really started putting it together successful nan last quarter. Up to that point, they were unremarkable prevention for nan overseas infinitesimal of class.

On apical of that location was nan show of Scott and Jordie Barrett some going disconnected injured. Word from nan campy is that some are struggling to make it for Saturday.

In nan aftermath, nan awesome All Black, and now pundit, Jeff Wilson, summed up nan triumph successful Chicago. "Ireland weren't very good, let's beryllium honest," he said. "We conscionable recovered a measurement to person 2 aliases 3 moments that were bully capable to get america a comfortable win. Ireland didn't really threaten. I deliberation Scotland will beryllium amended and England will beryllium better."

Against nan USA, nan Scots were ruthless, doing what needed to beryllium done and doing it well. It was a beardown hit-out for nan fistful of players who will beryllium progressive adjacent Saturday and a superb acquisition for those who won't be, for illustration Liam McConnell, nan unsmooth gem astatine six, who excelled connected his debut. Only 21, it's going to beryllium nosy watching McConnell mature. His earthy talent is terrific.

For nan All Blacks, nan biggest dogs will reappear. One 100 and 20 years agone Scotland faced New Zealand for nan first clip and, of course, they still haven't beaten them. That's 30 defeats and 2 draws. The past 3 losses successful that series are astir apt nan astir achy of nan lot.

In 2014, pinch Vern Cotter successful charge, Scotland trailed by conscionable 1 constituent pinch 7 minutes to go, but succumbed to a 31-23 defeat.

Three years later was harder to take. A plague had descended connected Scotland's loosehead props that autumn. Alasdair Dickinson, Allan Dell and Rory Sutherland were each injured. In came nan chartless Darryl Marfo.

Gregor Townsend's squad had a ton of in-game injuries. Stuart McInally, nan hooker, had a spell astatine openside. Then, George Turner, nan replacement hooker, had a spell astatine openside, too.

The look connected Townsend's look aft nan crippled is still vivid. Dejection and disguised fury. Scotland trailed 22-10 pinch 8 minutes left. The All Blacks were down to 14 men. Then, Kieran Read stopped a near-certain effort pinch an enactment of chicanery that eluded referee Matthew Carley.

Scotland should person had a effort and Read should person been off. It should person been a five-point crippled against 13 men for nan remaining minutes of nan contest. New Zealand escaped.

We don't relive nan torment conscionable for nan laugh. These near-misses are location to punctual everybody really savagely difficult it is to hit nan All Blacks. The astir caller conclusion is, arguably, nan astir instructive of nan lot.

It was nan nighttime Doddie Weir brought retired nan lucifer shot pinch his 3 sons, a infinitesimal that's each spot arsenic moving now, 3 years on, arsenic it was then.

Scotland trailed by 14 points early successful that crippled and past led by nine. They scored 23 unanswered points successful 52 minutes against nan All Blacks. Unprecedented. Then they mislaid their composure, gave distant penalties, picked up a yellowish paper and mislaid nan Test.

It was agonising and it was typical. The All Blacks had been out-played for ample periods but erstwhile nan chips were down they stayed calm and turned nan screw, millimetre by millimetre.

It's what they did to Ireland connected Saturday night. A decisive past 20 minutes won it. Their chair had immense impact, creatively and physically.

Townsend has immoderate decisions to make pinch his starting squad and different decisions to make successful nan creation of his bench. Does he spell pinch a 6-2 split? To get much gnarled forwards entering nan fray precocious on, nan logic says yes. It's a bet but 1 worthy making. Scotland person to power-up.

There are things that Townsend will beryllium sweating about. Blair Kinghorn has had virtually nary break since nan Lions tour. He played 80 minutes for Toulouse against Stade Francais connected Saturday, his seventh crippled of nan season. He's needed against nan All Blacks, but is location a interest astir his freshness?

In nan interests of cohesion, and pinch respect to nan flying claims of nan fantabulous Rory Hutchinson, nan midfield ought to beryllium nan brace of Glasgow powerhouses, Sione Tuipulotu and Stafford McDowall.

At half-back, cohesion will astir apt triumph nan time again pinch Finn Russell partnering Ben White. Jamie Dobie has ne'er been person to shifting nan bid astatine nine, though. Dobie, on pinch Tom Jordan, mightiness good beryllium nan 2 backs connected nan bench.

Zander Fagerson hasn't played since April. What are nan chances that large man tin conscionable reappear and present nan crippled of his life for adjacent to 80 minutes? Well, he has to. Scotland could beryllium sunk otherwise. Fagerson is that important.

The dream for nan second-row is that Townsend starts to move towards a caller era pinch Gregor Brown, a awesome ball-carrier pinch belligerence and footwork, partnering Scott Cummings pinch Max Williamson's musculus coming disconnected nan bench.

Grant Gilchrist has been magnificent for Scotland, but it's clip that Scotland kicked-on. Townsend is improbable to agree. His back-row has 2 shoo-ins - Matt Fagerson astatine six and Jack Dempsey astatine eight. The 7 jersey is betwixt 2 superb operators, nan firing Andy Onyeama-Christie and nan recovering Rory Darge. Both should beryllium successful nan 23, erstwhile again connected nan presumption that Darge is fresh to play.

The chair is captious and a 6-2 gives Scotland much of a chance of dealing pinch New Zealand successful that past quarter, nan play of nan crippled wherever they thin to propulsion distant and win.

Rory Sutherland, George Turner and perchance Will Hurd up front. Williamson, Darge/Onyeama Christie and nan astir aggressive, belligerent, disagreeable nuisance you tin find to subordinate them. When astatine nan highest of his powers, Magnus Bradbury, arguably, comes closest to fitting nan bill.

A vulnerable backline built to onslaught and a battalion pinch other biff. New Zealand are not peculiarly scary these days but they still person magic successful their bones.

We're not expected to opportunity it retired loud, but there's a chance for Scotland here. At their very best, a logic to believe. They've done nan agony and nan outrage successful this fixture successful caller years. Now is nan clip for thing wholly different. A triumph aft 120 years? Whisper it.