New Zealand hammered Scotland 49-3 in front of 58 000 at Murrayfield on Saturday, scoring seven tries and bringing to an end the home side’s run of four unbeaten matches. Sonny Bill Williams was a deserving Man of the Match.
While there was talk during the week of the Scots looking for a big performance, that was put to bed fast as the All Blacks blew them away with their far superior finishing and deft touches, led by Williams in the midfield.
The big centre was playing in only his second Test but showed what hes capable of by setting up tries for those around him on more than one occasion.
“Williams has everything. It’s fantastic he’s in our sport,” said Scotland coach Andy Robinson. “We have let the nation down,” he added bluntly, referring to his team.
By the end of the game the Scottish commentators had resigned themselves to a humiliating defeat, and instead sang the praises of the All Blacks, and Williams in particular. He himself was happy with the game, but credited his support runners.
“You’re only as good as your support play and you probably can’t get much better than the boys that I played alongside in the last couple of weeks. It does make it a lot easier,” Williams said. “I just hope they catch it, because if they don’t catch it…
“It was a step forward – now I know I can mix it at this level — but in saying that there’s still big games ahead and there’s a long way to go. Ma’a and Conrad to me are the best midfield combination in the world. As long as I can keep my foot in there and hopefully keep staying in that 22 and get a bit of game time here and there, I know I’ll improve.”
New Zealand travel to Dublin next to face Ireland, a team theyve never lost to. Scotland host South Africa at Murrayfield, where both sides will be looking to put in better performances than was seen on the weekend.
Time:
05:13
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