Townsend eyes All Blacks upset after Scots rout US

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.