WE’VE SHOWN WE CAN MIX IT WITH BEST IN THE WORLD

YOU always know going into a game against the All Blacks that you need to be almost perfect to have a chance of winning. That is especially true of your set-piece which allows you to control territory and possession, and Gregor Townsend would have been delighted with how Scotland started the match. The kicking game from Scotland was excellent and, coupled with a muchimproved defensive effort, allowed Scotland to apply pressure on the All Blacks who looked vulnerable at times. New Zealand’s reputation as the best side in rugby is well earned and they began to crank up the pressure as the first half wore on. The Scottish scrum started to creak at times and they were fortunate to escape their own line without conceding a score when the Kiwi scrum looked like they had the line in their sight. The scrum turned out to be the difference between the two sides with the All Blacks scoring a sublime try from a scrum on the Scots’ 22-metre line and even when the Kiwis were reduced to seven men up front for 20 minutes, the Scottish pack were unable to take advantage. It may not have been a perfect performance by Scotland but it was one which filled me with pride. It is not that long ago that Scotland would have looked at a heroic loss to the All Blacks as being as good as a win. Not any more. Performance is important but winning is what matters for a Scotland team that has the belief and ability to stand toe to toe with the best in world rugby.