On Saturday week at Murrayfield, Scotland face the All Blacks for the 34th time, with New Zealand holding a commanding record of 31 wins to Scotland's none, plus draws in 1964 and 1983. Speaking on the BBC's Scotland Rugby Podcast, Gregor Townsend reflected on his own experiences against New Zealand as a player, including heavy defeats of 62-31 and 69-20, and said the mindset has changed.
"It's almost like two different lifetimes," he says. "As a player, I don't think we ever felt we could win the game." As coach, Townsend has faced the All Blacks three times, all in Edinburgh, losing 25-17 in 2025, 31-23 in 2023 and 22-17 in 2017. "I felt every time we've played against them, we've had opportunities to win and the belief has been there," he said. He admitted Scotland have lacked composure at key moments, most notably last year when they fought back from 17-0 down to draw 17-17.
The coming months are pivotal for Scotland, with the Nations Championship, Townsend's final Six Nations, a World Cup warm-up in Dunedin and the World Cup itself. Scotland have not played an away Test against the All Blacks since 2000, when New Zealand won 62-31 in Auckland and 48-14 in Dunedin. Ireland's improvement has been helped by regular summer Tests against southern hemisphere opposition, something Scotland have missed out on.
Townsend has also made a surprise selection, naming Ollie Leatherbarrow in his squad. The 24-year-old Newcastle Red Bulls flanker has started just one club game this season, but Townsend said the coaches have watched him closely and that he can cover three back-row positions and is one of the best carriers available.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing