They did everything but take risks; they did everything except maintain their composure as history seduced them. In summary, they attempted everything impossible against the All Blacks. Thus, the chase continues.
Scotland, one of two teams who founded international rugby 151 years ago, has yet to defeat New Zealand. Here, they dominated for all save the first and last 10 minutes. In between, they repeatedly sliced New Zealand, advancing to within inches of the try line, but that decisive blow…
Unfortunate patterns emerged in which the referee, with Scotland swarming on the All Blacks’ line, would blow his whistle and point to the sky, and the crowd would cheer in celebration of a try. Only to realize too late that he had awarded a penalty against them, another black flanker — typically the outstanding Dalton Papalii — having pushed over the ball. This occurred a minimum of three times.
Finn Russell returned to the team and performed admirably as a string-puller, kicking accurately from the tee. Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe, Scotland’s small and huge wingers, were devastating in their ways. Despite a poor start, Scotland led at halftime, and their lead had extended to nine points at the hour mark.
“I’m primarily feeling disappointment,” said a glum Gregor Townsend, whose teammate and close friend Doddie Weir handed the match ball from his wheelchair. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t play New Zealand every few years. It’s been five years, and that will be our largest lead against them to date. And we didn’t win.”
What has been the score in the previous 20 minutes? Scotland – 17 New Zealand As for the score after the first ten minutes, the visitors led 14-0. Between periods, the score was displayed as 23-0 to the hosts. The ease with which the All Blacks scored their first two tries did not auger well for Scotland, but after that, they had their greatest period and were probably their most efficient. And this portends nicely.
Samisoni Taukei’aho’s third-minute try from a driven lineout was nearly embarrassingly simple. The seventh-minute try scored by Mark Telea, the first of two in his debut, was at least an excellent counterattack.
However, counterattacks require initial attacks to launch from. At that time, the good news was that Scotland was already testing the All Blacks.
Five minutes later, they had reached parity after continuing to perform the same actions. A beautiful inside ball allowed Stuart Hogg to chip and chase the ball. Anton Lienert-Brown tackled him off the ball after he had beaten the cover, resulting in a penalty try and a yellow card. Two minutes later, Scotland scored again thanks to Graham’s great play. The interception of David Havili’s hopeful ball seemed uncomplicated, but he then evaded Caleb Clarke and around Jermaine Barrett.
Scotland’s momentum was dominant in the second quarter. Graham came close to scoring an even more amazing try, but his foot touched the line. Scotland should have scored more but had to settle for a single penalty that Russell converted for a 17-14 halftime advantage.
By the hour mark, he had increased the margin to nine points with the accumulation of two more penalties. Again, Scotland dominated the quarter, coming within inches of New Zealand’s goal line before the referee’s arm prompted the crowd to erupt in vain. However, they held a lead of more than a touchdown as the fourth quarter began.
Which is precisely when minds can flex in uncharted regions. Hogg dropped a high ball, allowing the All Blacks to enter the Scottish half. Jordie Barrett scored his team’s first points since the seventh minute on the strength of a penalty at a scrum.
The turning point occurred with fifteen minutes remaining. Jack Dempsey, who had replaced the concussed Hamish Watson in the first half, knocked on during the tackle as New Zealand pressured the Scottish goalposts. He received a yellow card, the All Blacks put up a scrum, and Scott Barrett scored from close range. His brother Jordie converted to restore New Zealand’s advantage.
With five minutes remaining, New Zealand secured victory. The penalty count swung drastically in their favor at this point. Rieko Ioane scored Telea’s second try after another raid, and Jordie Barrett added the extra point from the touchline. Scotland’s suffering continues.
