Match Report: Scotland 21-43 New Zealand
7 Nov 2026Scotland’s Nations Championship campaign was dented by a professional New Zealand, who sped away from a narrow half-time scoreline to ease to a seven-try win at Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
The national stadium was an autumnal picture ahead of an immaculately observed silence for Remembrance and then the traditional Måori haka challenge.
The match ball was presented by Josh Kerr, world record holder for the mile, and many Scots would have wanted to run one themselves when number 8 Wallace Sititi finished off a smart line-out move for an early All Blacks score (0-5, 4 mins).
Scotland, clearly undaunted after last year’s comeback from being cut 17 points adrift, fairly thundered home the rolling maul from a line-out soon after, as Ewan Ashman emerged from the rubble with a 15th Test try, Finn Russell converting to give Scotland the lead for the first time (7-5, 8 mins).
New Zealand went quietly about mustering an immediate reply, with a number of carries taking them close to the Scottish line, but some excellent defence held, with Rory Sutherland in the thick of it when the Kiwis were held up.
The problem was, Scotland couldn’t force any territorial momentum with the opposition camped inside their 22 and when Matt Fagerson’s valiant slide to cover a grubber was quickly penalised for holding on, it took a matter of seconds for Ethan de Groot to barge over, with Damian McKenzie making no mistake from the tee (7-12, 16 mins).
The penalty count was 5-0 in the hosts’ debit, and once more a whistle from referee Andrew Brace allowed the All Blacks a route to the try line as hooker Codie Taylor dotted down for his side’s third try (7-17, 20 mins).
Scotland won their first penalty and like the proverbial Edinburgh Tram, a number came along at once and in one phase of play. An offside, another, then a third, and although Jamie Dobie was then huckled into touch, Peter Lakai received a yellow card for his being the third of those transgressions.
Huw Jones then thought he’d wriggled through for a try but the replays showed that the centre had come up short. They also showed a blatant high tackle, which was somehow missed by those assessing the footage.
Perhaps that stirred the hosts even more; judging by the way Ashman battered his way over for his own and Scotland’s second moments later, it certainly appeared the case. Russell clipped over the extras as a pulsating first half hour drew to a close (14-17, 26 mins).
This fixture, in the past decade, has often been won and lost by New Zealand’s ability to react to being spooked and with Scotland edging into their rear-view mirror, Dave Rennie’s charges sensed the danger and duly obliged through one of their greats. It was a trademark, perfectly-timed line from Beauden Barrett that sent the full-back over, with McKenzie converting, to offer breathing room once more (14-24, 31 mins).
Wallace Sititi got in on the yellow card action almost straight from the restart, the back row apparently the victim of another team accumulation of infringements and Scotland went so close to capitalising, both times through Jones.
First, the centre punctured the Kiwi defence on halfway and hared his way into their 22 before, a few phases later, he was held up across the line for the second time in the match.
New Zealand had caught up and surpassed the Scottish penalty count by now and after Jones was denied, it was Ashman again – the hat-trick hero no less, and the first forward to do so on more than one occasion – who sent Murrayfield wild and his side, with Russell’s third conversion, to within three points once more (21-24, 38 mins).
The half drew to a close with a telling Scottish pilfer on the deck to win yet another penalty. Touch was missed but when New Zealand coughed up the resulting counter attack, that man Jones was at it again, putting in Ben White whose lightning-quick mind grubbered the ball through for Kyle Rowe, with Josh Moorby just about getting enough boot to ball to signal the end of the first 40.
Half-time: Scotland 21-24 New Zealand
New Zealand, although in the lead, would have known at half-time that if anything, momentum was with Scotland and in order to wrestle it back, theirs was a game plan designed to pressure their opponents into errors.
A scrum penalty was conceded by the hosts, then another, as a yellow card from Mr Brace was avoided, but from the third scrum in succession, Jordie Barrett flung the ball out to Moorby who had the easiest of tasks to dot down in the left corner (21-29, 48 mins).
The sin-binning did indeed come and it was the captain who was the fall guy, Sione Tuipulotu given 10 minutes for collective discrepancies. When Beauden Barrett went over for his second straight after – a remarkable 50th Test try – the All Blacks had opened up a 15-point cushion (21-26, 52 mins).
Scotland, a man down, knew in all likelihood that the next score would either tie the result up or give hope to a crowd so desperate to witness history. As the clocked ticked, it was betwixt and between the two outcomes, a dull, drip-fed march to the full-time whistle where victory was always possible, but increasingly implausible.
The result was put outside Scotland’s grasp when substitute hooker Asafo Aumua cut a delicious line to receive the ball from Lakai and settle the score with a seventh All Blacks try, five of which were converted (21-43, 67 mins).
The crowd had been firmly muted and New Zealand had done their job at making sure the same could be said of their opposition as the game petered into submission, the All Blacks easing off the gas and Scotland scratching their heads at how best to approach the next task in hand, against Australia a week on Sunday.
Full-time: Scotland 21-43 New Zealand
Scotland: Kyle Rowe, Kyle Steyn (both Glasgow Warriors), Huw Jones (Toulon), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors, captain), Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors); Finn Russell (Bath Rugby), Ben White (Toulon); Rory Sutherland (Glasgow Warriors), Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh Rugby), Zander Fagerson, Gregor Brown, Scott Cumming, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge (all Glasgow Warriors), Jack Dempsey (Toshiba Brave Lupus).
Replacements: Gregor Hiddleston (Glasgow Warriors) (for Ashman, 65 mins), Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby) (for Sutherland, 31 mins), Will Hurd (Leicester Tigers) (for Z. Fagerson, 65 mins), Max Williamson (Glasgow Warriors) (for Dempsey, 52 mins), Josh Bayliss (Bath Rugby) (for M. Fagerson, 62 mins), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) (for White, 62 mins), Tom Jordan (Bristol Bears) (for Russell, 62 mins), Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse) (for Rowe, 52 mins).
New Zealand: Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan, Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Josh Moorby; Damian McKenzie, Cam Roigard; Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor (captain), Fletcher Newell, Scott Barrett, Fabian Holland, Tupou Vaa’i, Peter Lakai, Wallace Sititi.
Replacements: Asafo Aumua, George Bower, Pasilio Tosi, Christian Lio-Willie, Anton Segner, Cortez Ratima, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Rieko Ioane.
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Andrea Piardi (FIR) and Jordan Way (RA)
Television Match Official: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
Foul Play Review Officer: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
Player of the Match: 67,148
Attendance: Quinn Tupaea
