Archive November 1, 2025

Head coach Gregor Townsend says his side now thinks they can defeat New Zealand for the first time in history after their first-ever win over the United States.

In what was their biggest victory in 100 years of playing at Murrayfield, the Scots ran in 13 tries to defeat the Americans 85-0. Darcy Graham and Jamie Dobie both scored hat-tricks.

Attention turns to Saturday’s showdown with the All Blacks in Edinburgh, where Scotland hopes to win the match for the first time on the 33rd occasion.

In 2022, the Scots fell by eight points, five in 2017, and eight more than once more.

In recent years, we’ve played two excellent matches against them, but we’ve struggled to deliver that kind of performance. All of these experiences, including those from today, must be incorporated into an 80-minute performance.

The players’ ability to feel confident comes from how well they practiced this week. That cohesion needs to be established quickly. There is no justification for that. The men are willing to do it, and they think they can do it.

Without key players like Finn Russell, Blair Kinghorn, and Ben White, Scotland were without them as the USA game approached the designated Test window, but they were ruthless in their destruction.

On his 50th cap, Duhan Van der Merwe scored two tries, both of which were hat-tricks, and Darcy Graham and Jamie Dobie both did so. Ollie Smith, Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall, George Horne, and Dylan Richardson all scored.

The players immediately showed signs of unity, which is difficult to achieve during a week of training, Townsend said.

We demanded physicality and effort, and we did for the most part. In the main, the players worked hard for each other, and we were aggressive and disciplined.

Endrick is wanted by Real Madrid’s Endrick, while Napoli wants Kobbie Mainoo from Manchester United in January, and N’Golo Kante could make a comeback to France.

Endrick, 19, signed for Real Madrid on loan from Aston Villa in January, and the Villa have since made an appointment. (Sunday Daily Star)

Endrick wants to move to France to play first-team football and increase his chances of making Brazil’s World Cup squad for the 2026 World Cup, but Lyon are the favorites to land him. (Foot Mercato – in French)

Elliot Anderson, 22, from Nottingham Forest is expected to join Manchester United in January, but the club may face opposition from Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle United. (Caught Offside)

In order to make the loan move permanent in the summer, Napoli wants to sign England and Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20. (Mirror)

If the 22-year-old makes 10 appearances for the Midlands club, it is believed that Aston Villa will be forced to make Harvey Elliott’s loan move from Liverpool into a permanent switch kick in. (Independent)

N’Golo Kante, 34, a France midfielder, is on Paris FC‘s radar as a potential replacement for him as they approach the end of their current deal with Al-Ittihad. (Foot Mercato – in French)

Santiago Gimenez, 24, needs until the January transfer window to persuade AC Milan that he deserves to stay at the club rather than be sold. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian)

Hybrid players are a bit like concept cars – glitzy, intriguing ideas but, when push comes to shove, coaches have invariably chosen something more reliable and conventional to actually go from A to B.

Eddie Jones talked up the possibility during his time as England coach. He thought wing Jack Nowell could work as a flanker. He posited that Tom Curry and Sam Underhill might head in the opposite direction and play in the backline.

But Jones never followed through on the idea. The division between backs and forwards remained. Orthodoxies survived.

But Jones’ successor Steve Borthwick might be the one to finally take the plunge.

Earlier this week, he flagged Ben Earl and Guy Pepper as midfield options and floated the possibility of deploying fellow back row Henry Pollock as a wing.

“Maybe, maybe not it will happen this autumn,” he said of a switch to starting centre for Earl.

“It’s certainly a factor I’m considering. He’s spent so much time training with the backs and you can see his skillset and his pace.”

If it is going to happen during this run of Tests, then next week against Fiji – rather than against New Zealand or Argentina – would be the obvious opportunity.

The win over Australia will further tempt Borthwick to chance his arm.

In a little over 50 minutes on the pitch, Earl was England’s second-highest metre-maker, racking up 77m and streaking in from distance for the game’s opening try.

Pollock, who replaced Earl off the bench, made 52m and similarly revelled in broken field, swerving outside full-back Andrew Kellaway for England’s second score.

The Northampton tyro’s chip, chase and score against Sale last season showed a remarkable skillset.

Both he and Earl have a back catalogue of carries – full of pace, as well as power – to be tested full-time behind the scrum.

Their jackalling threat would only be accentuated in the wide, open spaces.

Given the defensive differences and positioning complexities, it would still be a grand tactical gamble, however. As Borthwick’s soft launch has shown.

The England coach is experimenting with Tommy Freeman, more usually a wing, as a starting outside centre. The idea debuted in the Six Nations thrashing of Wales.

A prime chance to release Immanuel Feyi-Waboso outside him went begging as Freeman’s wing instinct kicked in – he held tight and took contact.

But Freeman largely subdued Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii opposite him and is now two from two at 13.

England’s search for versatility and flexibility is necessary to keep pace with the trends of the modern game.

France threw flanker Oscar Jegou into the centres in Dublin earlier this year and came away with a fine victory. World champions South Africa have made Kwagga Smith and Andre Esterhuizen masters of several trades and unlocked blockbuster power off the bench.

England’s attempt to copy that Springbok tactic worked, as they accelerated away from an admittedly underpowered Australia in the final half hour.

“I did think that the bench made a difference from England,” said Australia coach Joe Schmidt.

“They really did step up the level of intensity and the physical combat that they brought.”

Similarly England won the aerial battles that mattered, with Tom Roebuck creating England’s first tries with smart tap-backs.

With chasers now guaranteed a route to that contest under last year’s law tweak, it is another crucial area to get right.

Two years out from a World Cup, Borthwick and his evolving coaching team is attempting to pull all those pieces together to create a winning picture.

Some unusual fits might yet be needed to complete it.