Written by @QuintenLetcher for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Scotland vs New Zealand | Saturday 15 November | Murrayfield | 19:30
The Scots have clearly come a long way since that harrowing 55-6 defeat to the Springboks back in June. A young, electrifying backline produced an aggressively expansive attacking display that reaped no fewer than five tries for the locals last weekend, with the industrious Greig Laidlaw adding an additional eleven points with the boot to steer the Scots to a 41-31 victory over Los Pumas. But while head coach Vern Cotter will undoubtedly be pleased by the outcome of his first ever home game, his side’s ill discipline that had them down to fourteen men for much of the second half, and periodically poor defence that prevented them securing a far more emphatic victory, will need to be addressed before they take on the formidable New Zealanders this Saturday.
A resilient-as-ever All Black side fought back from an 11-14 halftime deficit to take a deserved 24-21 victory over the English at Twickenham last Saturday, although the scoreboard somewhat betrays their brutal second half dominance that saw skipper Richie McCaw and Charlie Faumuina crashing over the whitewash to help secure a fifth consecutive victory over the Poms. The tourists will be hoping to pull off a far more compelling victory this week when they cross Hadrian’s Wall to take on the mettlesome Scots, a side that is still desperately seeking their first ever All Black scalp in the 107-year history between the two nations.
To Win (80mins)
Scotland 12/1
New Zealand 1/50
Draw 45/1
Handicaps
Scotland (+26.5) 9/10
New Zealand (-26.5) 9/10
Scotland
Coach Vern Cotter is expected to keep much of his side unchanged for their upcoming battle against the world’s top side. Powerful performances from Finn Russell, Adam Ashe, Mark Bennett and Blair Cowen, all making their Murrayfield debuts last week, will surely have secured their spots for Saturday’s showdown. Lock duo Richie and Johnny Gray won over the Scottish nation, who now refer to the young siblings as the “Blues Brothers” after they both managed to cross for a try last week, and so their inclusion in the run on side is a near certainty. There is one player that would be relatively safe to rule out of contention this week, and that would be Jim Hamilton who managed to pick up a yellow card just minutes after coming off the bench, allowing Argentina two late tries in his absence.
New Zealand
Steve Hansen doesn’t seem all that worried about his side’s upcoming clash with Scotland and is using the match to experiment with his team selections. Dan Carter makes his highly anticipated return to the run on side this week in what will be only his second Test appearance of the year, while fellow Crusaders pivot Colin Slade has been named to start out of position on the wing. Ryan Crotty and Malakai Fekitoa form an exciting new midfield partnership, with Sonny Bill Williams and Julian Savea named on the bench as utility subs. Dominic Bird will join Jeremy Thrush in the second row, while Blues hooker James Pearson makes his All Black debut. Skipper Richie McCaw moves over to the other side of the scrum as Sam Cane starts at openside flanker and Victor Vito claims the number eight jersey.
VERDICT: Scotland (+26.5) 9/10
This young Scottish side have shown how dangerous they can be when they swing the ball wide at the back, but they have a long way to come yet before they pose an earnest threat to the All Blacks. So while an All Black win is guaranteed, I think the days of putting 50 points past the Scots at Murrayfield are behind us.
