INCHES FROM HISTORY...
Hogg’s heroic dash for glory left a breathless nation daring to dream of the ultimate scalp
The making of any great team is littered with heartbreaking moments along the way. Scotland’s narrow defeat to New Zealand falls right into that category.
When Gregor Townsend looks back over what is hopefully a successful time as head coach, he will realise this was a pivotal match in the development of his side.
Of course, we can’t forget this was a defeat but, at times, his Scotland side made the greatest team in the world look ordinary. Very ordinary.
This wasn’t simply another ‘glorious defeat’ as Scotland have endured so often against the All Blacks over the years.
This was a missed opportunity to beat the back-to-back world champions for the first time ever.
In the first half in particular Scotland were magnificent. In the second, they were brave yet ultimately left heartbroken. Next up is Australia on Saturday, then on to the Six Nations.
On this performance Scotland have nothing to fear.
A game that started with a standing ovation for Doddie Weir ended with another for the Scotland team. Both were hugely deserved. It was a match even Townsend thought had been won when Stuart hogg raced off on a run up the touchline with the clock ticking into the red.
As fans began to rise from their seats in expectation, were we to see history being made before our eyes?
Sadly, the class act that is Beauden Barrett turned on the after-burners to produce a last-gasp tackle with the line tantalisingly close.
‘I was off my feet. It looked as though Stuart would get it and Finn Russell would have kicked that conversion opportunity for the win,’ Townsend said in the aftermath.
There was another equally significant incident just three minutes earlier that Townsend and his Scotland players should watch over to remind themselves how rattled the All Blacks were.
With a man already in the sin bin, they were nervously hanging on for the victory. They even tried to slow the game down to a snail’s pace to preserve their lead.
But they went too far and were penalised for time-wasting after hooker Nathan harris took too long to launch the ball into the lineout.
Imagine that if you will for a second. The All Blacks resorting to time-wasting. This team of world champions. This team which was expected to wipe the floor with the Scots. Zinzan Brooke, one of their stars of yesteryear predicted a ‘60-point humbling’. he has gone very quiet.
Scotland will know that as long as hogg stays fit, then they will always have an attacking edge. he is truly world class.
he had that look in his eyes from the first whistle that he meant business. Told by Townsend to get into the thick of the action — he delivered.
he was the best man on the park and a constant attacking threat.
‘It took a very special player in Beauden Barrett to stop a special player in Stuart hogg from scoring at the end,’ said All Blacks coach Steven hansen. his statistics back that up. Seventeen successful carries making 117 metres in the process. Three clean breaks, beating six defenders in runs from deep and in defence making four out of four tackles.
Add in the grubber kick that set up huw Jones’ try with two minutes left and a couple of clearance kicks that ended up in the tenth row of the stand and you have the complete full-back performance.
Running him close in the-manof-the-match stakes were captain John Barclay who was an inspirational leader — with second row Jonny Gray scoring a try in a fine performance.
Russell was solid rather than spectacular, putting over two conversions and a penalty. To a man, the Scots stood tall.
They went in at the break level at 3-3 after a Russell penalty was cancelled out by a harshlyawarded reply for New Zealand put over by Barrett.
Referee Matthew Carley judged Barclay had been off his feet, giving the New Zealand ten an easy kick at goal. Carley frustrated
the home crowd in the first half by not showing Waisake Naholo a card for taking out Hogg when he collected a high ball. Their anger was felt all the more given Naholo had a hand in the All Blacks’ opening try as he broke from a maul to release young star Rieko Ioane. He broke a couple of tackles before Sonny Bill Williams played a superb pass for Codie Taylor to score five minutes after the break. In the 52nd minute, Williams was also involved in the second try when his grubber kick was gathered by full-back Damien McKenzie to score. Yet if anyone was expecting the Scots to wilt under the onslaught — they instead rallied.
New Zealand were under so much pressure on the hour mark that Sam Cane was yellow-carded for killing the ball near his own line. Scotland took full advantage of the extra man with Gray’s try from close in coming just a minute later.
Again, however, the visitors extended their lead and Barrett, underlining his class, went over for New Zealand’s third try with 12 minutes left to give them a 12-point lead.Once again Scotland’s players dug deep into their reservoirs of courage. With the atmosphere building they had the world champions stuck in reverse gear. By now the All Blacks were struggling and Wayne Crockett was the second player to be sin-binned with nine minutes left for illegally stopping an attack by diving through the ruck.
Scotland, with the extra man again, knew they had a real chance to win it. First, the All Blacks were penalised for time-wasting at the lineout.
Then, with two minutes left, Jones went over for his converted try.
History was in the making and when the ball reached Hogg at the restart the game was on only for Barrett to cut him — and Scotland — down at the death.
When the final whistle went, there was a few seconds of silence as the capacity crowd regained their composure. Then slowly the chant of ‘Scotland, Scotland’ rang around the ground.
As Townsend stood motionless in his coaching box, fans in the west stand turned to face him and gave him a round of applause. Others shouted ‘thank you, Gregor’.
He smiled back but there was surely the realisation that although he saw Scotland gain respect, they fell so agonisingly short.
Next time boys, next time.