Scotland vs New Zealand Preview & Tips - New Zealand backed for battling win over Scotland
- New Zealand beat Ireland 26-13 in their last Test match
- Scotland have lost four of their last eight matches
- Preview, stats & head to head
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New Zealand's Damian McKenzie (Getty Images)
- Scotland vs New Zealand Preview & Tips
- Head To Head
- Scotland Form
- New Zealand Form
Scotland vs New Zealand Preview & Tips
Scotland were able to swat the USA aside in an 85-0 win that saw the home side humiliate their opponents.
New Zealand overcame Ireland in their first November international as they secured a 26-13 win in Chicago.
- New Zealand have won their last three international matches
- The All Blacks have beaten Scotland by 1-12 points in their last four meetings
Head To Head
New Zealand have won the last 10 matches between the pair in a show of utter domination from the All Blacks.
Scotland Form
Scotland were far too good for the USA in their last outing as they put on a show of try scoring as they ran in 12 tries against an opponent that never truly threatened. Impressively, Scotland did not let their try scoring take away from defensive duties as they continually shut their opponents down.
However, the quality of opposition jumps up to about as high as it gets this weekend. While New Zealand may trail South Africa at the summit of the rankings, the All Blacks have had a stranglehold over the Scottish, winning 30 of their 32 meetings with the other two ending as draws.
The one major positive for Scotland will be that the winning margin for the All Blacks has been shrinking. Indeed, a 51-22 loss to New Zealand back in 2012 has been followed by defeats with scorlines of 17-14, 24-16, 22-17 and 31-23.
The festival of attacking rugby we enjoyed last week saw Scotland looking very slick with the ball in hand, and they will need something special to score enough points to finally beat the All Blacks this weekend. While I predict a close game as this improving Scotland side run New Zealand close, I do not see the home side winning.
New Zealand Form
It is perhaps testament to the continued evolution of this New Zealand side that they hardly got out of second gear in their clash with Ireland last week and still won 26-13.
The idea that this would be a match of the same magnitude we have seen in the past seemed fanciful, and so it proved, with Ireland struggling to ever really piece much together. New Zealand were also far from their best, but they found a way to win the game. Ultimately, they did enough to beat an aging Irish side that had no answers to the questions New Zealand posed.
Against Scotland, I expect a quicker match, with the home side looking to move the ball out to the flanks in an attempt to stretch New Zealand. Finn Russell will be central to Scotland's plans, so the focus will be on shutting him down. While this is often easier said than done, Ardie Savea will likely relish the chance to target Russell as he looks to pull the strings.
While I do not back a big win for the All Blacks, I do predict that they will secure the bragging rights in this one. Scotland have often struggled to hit their peak against the best, and New Zealand are too good not to take advantage of any lapses from their hosts.
Verdict
I am backing New Zealand to win by 1-12 points for the fifth consecutive time against the Scottish.
New Zealand 1-12
Winning Margin
@150.00 - 1 Unit
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