Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has admitted that as a player he never truly believed his side could beat New Zealand — but as a coach, that feeling has completely changed ahead of the All Blacks’ visit to Murrayfield.
Gregor Townsend (Credits: BBC Sport)
On Saturday week, Scotland will face the All Blacks for the 34th time, chasing a first-ever win. The overall record is stark: New Zealand have won 31, Scotland none, with draws in 1964 and 1983 the closest the Scots have come since the nations first met 111 years ago.
Speaking on the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast on the day he announced his squad for the Nations Championship, Townsend reflected on his own painful history against the Kiwis as a player, including defeats by 62-31 and 69-20, and how the inferiority complex of his generation no longer defines the current squad.
Gregor Townsend: Scotland vs All Blacks belief has changed
“It’s almost like two different lifetimes,” Townsend said. “As a player, I don’t think we ever felt we could win the game. There were moments within games over in Auckland in 1996 when we had opportunities, but they were always going to pull away from us. I’ve not felt that as a coach.”
As coach, Townsend has faced the All Blacks three times, all in Edinburgh: a 25-17 defeat in 2025, a 31-23 loss in 2023 and a 22-17 reverse in 2017. Each time, he insisted, Scotland had genuine chances to win.
“I felt every time we’ve played against them, we’ve had opportunities to win and the belief has been there,” he said. “We might have lacked the composure. Certainly last time, a year ago, Scotland fell 17-0 behind but then came roaring back to level at 17-17. We were just playing so much accurate, physical rugby. But we didn’t take the chances.”
Scotland’s long wait for a New Zealand away Test
The coming months are seismic for Scotland, with the Nations Championship, Townsend’s final Six Nations, a World Cup warm-up against New Zealand in Dunedin, and then the World Cup itself. Scotland have not played an away Test against the All Blacks since 2000, when Townsend played in both matches of a two-Test series, losing 62-31 in Auckland and 48-14 in Dunedin.
Townsend also pointed to the exposure gap: in his time as coach he has had one game against Australia in Australia, one against South Africa in South Africa, and none against the All Blacks in New Zealand. In the same period, Wales have played seven away Tests against the southern hemisphere’s big three, England nine and Ireland ten.
“That’s great for Scottish Rugby, great for our players to get that opportunity to play New Zealand in New Zealand,” he said. “It’s a really good preparation for us for the World Cup as a stand-alone game. It’s one we’ve missed for so many years.”
The squad announcement also threw up a surprise in Ollie Leatherbarrow, the 24-year-old Newcastle Red Bulls flanker who has started just one club game this season but earned a first call-up, with Townsend praising his carrying stats and versatility across the back row.
Also Read: First Scotland Call-Up for Newcastle’s Ollie Leatherbarrow for Nations Championship Clashes | Ulster Winless After Four URC Games But Richie Murphy Says Turnaround Is Close
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
