Scotland got a brutal schooling from the All Blacks on Saturday, with what started as a thrilling first half quickly turning into a systematic dismantling that exposed their deepest, familiar frailties. This wasn’t one of those gut-wrenching, late-game sucker-punches the All Blacks are known for. Nope, they took Scotland out of their misery way earlier, leaving no room for a sense of grievance or a feeling that a win was left behind. This was a shellacking, all wrapped up by the 51st minute.
Ashman’s Hat Trick Didn’t Scare Anyone, Especially Not McCaw
You remember that first half, right? Murrayfield was absolutely rocking. Ewan Ashman was on fire, completing a hat-trick, and it felt like maybe, just maybe, this could be the day Scotland finally broke their 121-year drought against New Zealand. Even the great Richie McCaw was standing off to the side, below the media gantry. Was he “Ashman-faced” or ashen-faced, as the BBC writer put it, worried about the space Scotland was finding, the tries they were scoring? Was he fretful this might be the day the record tumbled? Forget about it. The man pulled out his phone and started tapping, probably ordering a taxi , for Scotland, of course. McCaw, and every All Black, don’t sweat those moments. They just flip a switch.
All Blacks Turn Up the Brutality, Led by a 35-Year-Old Genius
That’s the thing with the All Blacks, isn’t it? They don’t worry. They just up the ante. They back themselves, increase the intensity, the accuracy, the sheer power. They feast on every single mistake and then they just accelerate away. The second half was a pure annihilation, a crushing 19-0 in favor of the All Blacks. That’s what truly outstanding rugby teams do, especially when they’re away from home against a dangerous team and a loud crowd. They don’t shy from adversity; they embrace it. They get turned on by it. You saw Dave Rennie’s favorite word, “brutal,” stamped all over that second half. Brutal physicality, brutal execution, a foot on the opponent’s throat and kept there. New Zealand was better, smarter, and their rugby IQ was on a different level. And the architect? Beauden Barrett. At 35 years old, he’s still an absolute genius. He scored his second try of the day in the 51st minute, pushing him to 50 Test tries and an incredible 148 caps. Murrayfield got to witness one of the all-time greats in Barrett; classy, intelligent, and utterly ruthless.
Scotland’s DNA: A Familiar, Bitter Taste
After the match, Gregor Townsend and his players talked about what went wrong. They didn’t take enough chances in the first half. They didn’t make it tough enough for New Zealand to get field position. They couldn’t survive at the breakdown, their discipline wasn’t there, and they couldn’t look after the ball. Tuipulotu even took “full responsibility” for the collapse. All true, for sure. But the bigger, harder truth, the one that really stings, is that these problems didn’t just appear out of nowhere. The source article points out that these failings are basically “in the DNA” of this Scottish team. We’ve seen these issues before, in defeats and even in some victories. After three close Tests under Townsend since 2017, New Zealand has now pulled miles clear. Scotland’s defense looked mired in quicksand, and the 121-year wait for a win against New Zealand just got that much longer.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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