Gregor Townsend conceded Scotland had contributed to their own undoing after they suffered a heavy 43-21 defeat by New Zealand at Murrayfield.
Scotland went into half-time only three points behind, but their challenge faded dramatically after the break. New Zealand seized control, scored three unanswered tries and cruised to victory, extending Scotland’s winless record against the All Blacks to 34 matches.
The result was a painful blow for Scotland, who had entered the contest believing they could finally end their long wait after pushing New Zealand close 12 months ago. However, Townsend admitted his side had fallen well below the required standard and could not dispute the final score.
The head coach said: ‘I’m clearly disappointed that we didn’t produce one of our best performances. You prepare to win games, of course, but it’s also about delivering a performance that we and our supporters can be proud of. We didn’t do that today, and that’s frustrating.
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu and his team-mates look dejected at full-time
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend was frustrated by his side’s display
‘The players had trained well and we felt in a good place coming into the match. But we need more experience operating under pressure, and we certainly got that today. This will be a significant learning experience. We could have been better in the first half, particularly with our discipline.
‘The frustration in the opening half was that we allowed New Zealand into the game without them having to do too much. The opening 10 minutes of the second half was probably when the momentum shifted back towards them.
‘It’s a real credit to the players that our style is built around having a lot of possession and not giving the ball away often. But we turned it over today, and that wasn’t good enough. Giving away 13 penalties was also unacceptable.’
Scotland would traditionally open their autumn campaign against a Tier Two opponent, but the introduction of the Nations Championship has placed them into a far more demanding fixture at the outset. Townsend, however, refused to use the scheduling as an excuse.
He added: ‘It doesn’t excuse the way we played. We have to get back onside and clear the breakdown more quickly. Those were clearly the areas in the first half that handed New Zealand valuable field position.
‘Northern Hemisphere sides generally improve as the season progresses. They develop through the Six Nations, continue to build during November and should be at their most cohesive by the July Tests. Southern Hemisphere teams face the reverse pattern, although we have the benefit of playing this match at home.
‘The support we received today was outstanding, so that advantage is there. I have high expectations of this team, and the players have high expectations of one another. We didn’t meet them today.’
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu was sent to the sin bin in the second half and acknowledged that his absence played a role in the collapse.
He said: ‘We’re extremely disappointed. It’s not simply the defeat. It’s the inaccuracies in the first half and our failure to turn possession and territory inside their 22 into points that is most frustrating.
‘In the second half — and, to be fair, throughout the match — our discipline was not good enough. We gave them easy access to our 22. So it’s not the loss itself that bothers me most right now; it’s that we failed to deliver on several things we had discussed before the game.
New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett scores the All Blacks’ fourth try
‘My yellow card certainly didn’t help the team. A captain being sent off temporarily is not good for anyone, so I take full responsibility. I should have been on the field during that spell to help the players. In the second half, we weren’t as connected or as united as we needed to be, and we struggled to build anything as a group.’
Scotland must now wait another year for another opportunity to defeat New Zealand, a prospect that left Tuipulotu deeply frustrated.
He added: ‘This isn’t the conversation I wanted to have after the match. I wanted to be discussing how we had created history. But the pursuit goes on, and we have to regroup and start again.
‘The more often we face teams such as the All Blacks and the Springboks, the more beneficial it will be for Scottish rugby. These fixtures are usually separated by three or four years. More regular exposure to New Zealand can only help Scottish rugby as a whole.’
New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie said the victory was the ideal tribute to All Blacks head of security Logan Cadwallader, who died earlier in the week.
He said: ‘We wanted to win for him. This week has been about much more than rugby. It has been about honouring one of our brothers who passed away, as well as a husband, father and son who was deeply respected within our group.
‘There was a great deal of emotion during the anthem, and you could see how strongly the management team felt it too. That gave us extra motivation to step forward in the jersey and represent those back home.’
