Scotland led New Zealand by just three points at half-time at Murrayfield on Saturday — then ran out of answers. The All Blacks scored 19 unanswered second-half points to win 43-21 in the Nations Championship on November 7, 2026, keeping Scotland winless in the fixture and the visitors unbeaten in the tournament.
The contrast with expectations could hardly be sharper. Rugbypass reported before kick-off that Scotland’s head coach had spoke openly of accuracy and consistency being the difference in three recent near-misses, with the hosts seeking to end a winless run against New Zealand stretching back to their first meeting in 1905. For much of the first half, a breakthrough looked live.
Seven first-half tries, three points apart
New Zealand struck in the fourth minute through their back-row from a lineout, gone in off slack defending, and led 17-7 midway through an extraordinarily open first quarter. But Scotland’s hooker then delivered one of the great individual performances in this fixture’s long history: ESPN’s match report shows he became only the fifth player ever to score a hat-trick against New Zealand, and the first Scot to do so, with all three tries coming from lineout platforms.
Ewan 'Hat-Trick' Ashman 🏉🏉🏉 pic.twitter.com/zz1w1Jgh96
— https://x.com/Scotlandteam/status/2119088436992750043
Discipline swung the half as much as skill. New Zealand lost a flanker to the sin-bin for repeated infringements in the 23rd minute, then a back-rower to another yellow for cynical play just as the first returned, and Scotland made the extra man count in the 37th minute for the third try. The sides went in at 24-21 after a seven-try first half.
The BBC’s match report judged those two cards to have cost New Zealand 14 points — and still they led. The same report noted this All Blacks side looked far stronger than the one that had visited Murrayfield and won narrowly a year earlier.
Nineteen unanswered points in the second half
The second half belonged entirely to the visitors. The Independent’s live coverage described emphatic half-time adjustments from the New Zealand coaching staff, once the tourists were restored to a full complement, and two quickfire tries either side of Scotland’s captain being sin-binned in the 51st minute for repeated team infringements. A substitute hooker then capitalised on more poor defending at a lineout in the 68th minute to kill the contest.
Scotland did not score a point after the break. ESPN called the shut-out something of a reality check for the hosts; the Independent added that Scotland did not even leave Edinburgh with a losing bonus point, which may matter in the final Nations Championship equation. The player ratings at Ruck scored New Zealand’s inside centre at 8.5 out of 10 as the tourists’ best player, while Scotland’s No. 8 was picked out as outstanding in a losing effort.
Scotland’s head coach reacted on ITV shortly after full-time, calling the result disappointing: his side’s attacking play had been excellent in the first half, he said, but they could not keep hold of the ball in the third quarter and discipline had let New Zealand in. The New Zealand coach, speaking through the same live coverage, said it was a difficult week for the group but they rallied and got a good result at a tough place to play.
The run that began in 1905
The defeat extends one of rugby’s starkest records. Scotland have now failed to beat New Zealand in 34 meetings since the two first met in 1905 — 31 All Blacks wins and two draws across 121 years, according to the pre-match records TechRadar cited. Scotland had pushed close in each of the last four meetings: 23 unanswered points from 14-0 down in 2022, and a fightback from 17-0 to draw level in this fixture a year ago, only to be beaten late both times.
Before kick-off there was a moment’s applause for a former Edinburgh captain who died in September and for New Zealand’s long-serving head of security, who died in Edinburgh last weekend — a tribute The Irish News and Rugby365 both recorded, the latter carrying the New Zealand coach’s words that the late security chief would have wanted the players ready to go.
New Zealand keeps pressure on South Africa
The win keeps New Zealand unbeaten in the Nations Championship; per What Hi-Fi? before the match, victory was a must if the second-ranked tourists were to keep pressure on South Africa at the top of the Southern Hemisphere pool. Twelve teams compete across Northern and Southern Hemisphere groups in the inaugural competition, with the top side in each advancing directly to a grand final in London at the end of November, according to Yahoo’s rules explainer — no semifinals are played, and every participating nation features during Finals Weekend.
🗣️ "Seriously, we're underestimating him, he is an absolute superstar without a doubt." #SCOvNZL pic.twitter.com/olC60Ocpo3
— https://x.com/PlanetRugby/status/2118980671506899360
For readers wanting the game itself, it was free-to-air in the UK on ITV1 and ITVX, and in Ireland on Virgin Media One, with free streaming in the US via RugbyPass TV.
| Country | Broadcaster | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Stan Sport | AU$20/month on top of a Stan subscription from AU$9.99/month |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport 1 NZ / Sky Sport Now | NZ$29.99 per day or NZ$59.99 per month |
| Canada | Premier Sports | CA$29.99 monthly pass, CA$79.99 six-month pass, or CA$139.99/year |
Scotland’s wait goes on. The margin — 22 points, after leading by three at the break — will sting longest in Edinburgh.
Earlier coverage: All Blacks to honour late security chief Logan Cadwallader with armbands in Scotland Test
Ashy making the boys proud 👏 Ewan Ashman gets Scotland on the board. pic.twitter.com/k7xkLL4BF3
— https://x.com/Scotlandteam/status/2119076872331948340
More on All Blacks
Play is underway at Scottish Gas Murrayfield 🏴 0-0 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/W7bbE9mYOx
— https://x.com/Scotlandteam/status/2119069890736705542
🗣️ "Barrett's attacking efforts were rewarded with two tries which brought up a half century of five-pointers for the All Blacks at Test level." #SCOvNZL pic.twitter.com/HjkBLnKadK
— https://x.com/PlanetRugby/status/2119113872393085403
THE ALL BLACKS GET THE JOB DONE AT MURRAYFIELD! New Zealand secure a convincing 43-21 victory over Scotland in the Nations Championship! Despite Ewan Ashman's historic first half hat-trick keeping Scotland in the contest, the All Blacks take control in the second half to run… pic.twitter.com/BaEtoKuBiN
— https://x.com/AllThingsRugbyX/status/2119099512069280149
WHAT A FIRST HALF AT MURRAYFIELD! The All Blacks lead Scotland 24-21 at halftime after a thrilling opening 40 minutes! New Zealand have crossed the line four times, but Ewan Ashman has kept Scotland right in the contest with a sensational first-half hat-trick! Just three… pic.twitter.com/5u54cRxh9w
— https://x.com/AllThingsRugbyX/status/2119085159450313069
