New Zealand blew away Scotland in a rampant first half then cantered to a record 49-3 rugby Test win at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Scotland, on a four-Test unbeaten run, was quietly confident of ending 105 years without a win against the All Blacks, but the home side was overwhelmed by the New Zealanders’ precision and pace in a seven-try rout.
After conceding an early penalty to Dan Parks, the All Blacks scored at point-a-minute pace to end the match as a contest at 28-3, which remained the score at halftime.
The match lost its intensity in the second half as both teams unloaded their reserves, but the All Blacks still ended up posting their biggest win at Murrayfield, exceeding the 36-point margin in 2003.
Captain Richie McCaw and fullback Mils Muliaina, who faced Scotland for the first time, appeared in their 92nd Tests to match the New Zealand record of Sean Fitzpatrick, and have the team halfway to a third Grand Slam of the home unions since 2005.
“The boys played very well, it was delightful,” All Blacks coach Graham Henry said. “It was great for Richie and Mils to celebrate the record that way.
“I was pleased we played with a bit of accuracy and opened the game up. We’re trying to rebuild the team [for the World Cup] so it was pleasing that we hit our straps today.”
Muliaina and winger Hosea Gear scored two tries each, and flyhalf Dan Carter, centre Conrad Smith and reserve scrumhalf Andy Ellis also dotted down, but the standout performer was playing only his second Test for New Zealand, rugby league convert Sonny Bill Williams.
Moved closer to the action at inside centre after his debut against England a week ago, Williams set up the opening tries of each half with one-handed reverse flicks off tackles, and was also a key figure in a third try.
“He’s a special character, he’s a threat with the ball every time, and you know when he’s running with it it’s going to be offloaded more often than not,” McCaw said of Williams. “He’s fitted in well and he’s great to have.”
Williams said of his reverse passes: “I guess it comes from my league days, it’s natural to me.
“But I wouldn’t be able to do that unless players were running the right lines off me. The great players I’m surrounded by makes it easier.”
Williams took a skip pass from scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan and offloaded in a double tackle for the opening try to Gear beside the posts after nine minutes.
Moments later, the backline gave right winger Isaia Toeava an overlap from inside his own half, and he fed Carter inside for a clean run to the posts.
It was Carter’s turn to draw the cover defence to set up Muliaina in the 19th minute, then Gear backed himself and beat four defenders to score New Zealand’s fourth try in the 27th minute.
All of them were converted by Carter, who became the first player in Test history to convert 200 tries.
Scotland showed enough poise to contain New Zealand to halftime, but nine minutes into the new half Williams passed out of another two-man tackle for Muliaina to race into the right corner. Carter converted and soon after was substituted for Stephen Donald.
The likes of McCaw, lock Brad Thorn, Cowan and debutant hooker Hikawera Elliot were replaced by the hour mark, too.
Disrupted by all the changes and the proud Scots, New Zealand took until the 67th minute to score again. Flanker Liam Messam poached free ball behind a Scotland ruck and launched a surge which finished with Williams helping Smith to an overlap and easy run across the line.
Two minutes from time, reserve scrumhalf Andy Ellis fed Donald, who broke the line and passed back to Ellis to score, and Donald converted.
“We took a step backwards, I said to everybody in the dressing room that we’ve got to take a hard look at ourselves — me included,” Scotland coach Andy Robinson said.
“It was very tough, they were outstanding with the ball in hand, but you can’t drop off tackles the way we did at international level.”
The All Blacks move on to Dublin next week, while Scotland will host South Africa. – Sapa-AP