All Blacks Run in Seven Tries as Scotland Fall at Murrayfield
Scotland are still waiting for a first win over the All Blacks. At Murrayfield they lost 43-21, and the second half was one-sided: New Zealand scored 19 unanswered points while Scotland did not score at all.
Ashman's hat-trick was not enough
Hooker Ewan Ashman scored three tries in the first half. Two came from lineouts, and his second followed a penalty kicked to the corner after Peter Lakai's yellow card. After Huw Jones was held up, Steyn and Rowe attacked down opposite wings from the dropout, and Ashman ran a sharp line off White's pass.
Seven tries were scored before the break, and New Zealand held a three-point lead. Both Lakai and Wallace Sititi were shown yellow cards. Scotland were penalised more, but New Zealand's offences were committed under peak pressure.
New Zealand pull away
The All Blacks had the bonus point after half an hour. Ethan de Groot drove over after Cam Roigard took a tap penalty. Beauden Barrett was put over by Damian McKenzie from another attacking lineout. Codie Taylor and Sititi also scored from lineouts.
After the break they chose to scrum an attacking penalty and scored off it. Scott Barrett's long pass reached Josh Moorby for a simple run-in. Captain Sione Tuipulotu was then sent to the sin bin as Scotland kept infringing, and Beauden Barrett crossed for his second try. Asafo Aumua added the seventh in the final quarter after a long throw and a blind loop from Lakai.
Nearly every first-half try began with a lineout after a penalty kicked to the corner, and four came straight off the mauls that followed.
What Townsend said
"You obviously prepare to try and win games," said Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, "but it's more about delivering a performance we can be proud of." He said that did not happen and called the performance frustrating.
The wider picture is the Nations Championship. New Zealand and South Africa have four wins and four bonus points from four games, and two rounds of round-robin remain. It is Scotland's first outing of their season.
Source: the Guardian