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Henry Lee in Edinburgh • November 5th, 2026 8:02 am
Dave Rennie | Photo: Photosport
When more than 67,000 people pack into Scottish Gas Murrayfield this weekend to watch the All Blacks take on Scotland, there will be a mixture of optimism and pessimism.
Many Scottish fans will have witnessed countless close encounters between the two sides, including a few agonising defeats in the past decade, where a hoodoo-breaking victory was at their fingertips.
120 years and waiting. Last year Damian McKenzie’s out-of-this-world finish in the left-hand corner saved Scott Robertson’s All Blacks, nearly eight years to the day since Beauden Barrett’s try-saving tackle clinched victory in 2017.
But it wasn’t to be, and Dave Rennie’s All Blacks travel to Murrayfield with a long-standing record behind them.
Here are three areas the All Blacks must focus on in Edinburgh.
The All Blacks recently thumped Australia to win back the Bledisloe Cup | Photo: Andrew Cornaga/AAP
Start well, win well
Often an Achilles ' heel of Rennie’s All Blacks, the start has been a constant talking point in 2026.
In their first game under Rennie, at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch, France struck early, and the All Blacks were quickly on the back foot.
Against Italy a week later, it was a carbon copy, with Tommaso Menoncello crossing first in Wellington.
The list could go on, with the All Blacks conceding first against the Lions and the Springboks (Tests two and three of RGR).
The scrum, the aerial battle, and lack of a balanced kicking game will grab the headlines as the key areas of concern for the All Blacks, but against Scotland this weekend, the start will be pivotal.
Gregor Townsend’s charges, who will be buoyed by strong recent performances against the Springboks, France, and England, won’t need an invitation to make life difficult for the visitors.
Captain fantastic Sione Tuipulotu, born in Australia, will lead his side into battle alongside Bath’s Finn Russell, where they’ll feel a strong first half is paramount.
The home side simply don’t have the depth of the All Blacks, and won’t be able to contain the quality Rennie’s side will inject off the bench.
Meaning if Townsend’s Scotland are a chance to break that exasperating, 120-year, 33-game winless streak against the All Blacks, they must stay in the game.
Rennie will feel Scotland, who will play a similar, attacking, free-flowing style, won’t be able to stick with the visitors’ power and punch off the bench if they take a lead into the final 20 minutes.
If the Kiwis get the start right, Saturday’s clash (local time) could be yet another disappointing defeat for the Scots.
Balancing ambition with intelligence
Having balance to their game plan has been a constant work on for Rennie’s men.
Against Australia, it was their best showing. At Eden Park in July against Ireland, the All Blacks possessed strong around-the-corner ball carriers, and kicked effectively. And Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series saw the Kiwis falter under immense pressure, kick waywardly, and gift crucial ball away with stupid off-ball mind blanks.
That’s an upshot of how the balance has gone in 2026, but it’s a new international window. The Nations Championship is back, and Scotland await at their historic ground on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
Assistant coach and former Scotland halfback Mike Blair said in Edinburgh this week that the balance to their game will be pivotal in different conditions to those in Auckland and Sydney recently.
“But the way we’re trying to evolve our game, there’s obviously game management within it, using our kick and game to create pressure and unstructured defences, but we also believe we’ve got a skill set that can manipulate defence with the ball in hand, even if the weather’s not great,” Blair said at Tuesday’s training.
Attack coach Mike Blair on how All Blacks are preparing for Scotland | Sport Nation
Seems simple when Blair puts it that way, but his former side will be out there to spoil the party.
The All Blacks will no doubt continue to attack from their own end, keep the ball in hand and force Scotland to defend long phases, but knowing when and where to pick their moments will dictate how effectively they strike that balance.
Sixth-ranked Scotland won’t need any invitations. If the All Blacks, in the greasier conditions, live dangerously out of their own end and chance their arm carelessly, the home side will punish them.
Cameron Roigard’s boot will be key. From the base of the scrum, Roigard was a master against the Wallabies, perfecting the mix between height and distance.
If the All Blacks use Roigard’s left boot and Jordie Barrett and McKenzie’s longer kicking game, they can relieve pressure effectively and put the onus back on the hosts.
Strong game management will prove to be gold at Murrayfield. Under the lights, conditions will be starkly different from the Bledisloe Cup, so Rennie’s side must adjust.
Eliminate the off-the-ball “DAP (dumb ass penalties)”, be disciplined at set-piece, exit their own end properly, and Rennie’s side will get themselves in prime position to dominate the contest.
Scott Barrett says he's happy to get back into the All Blacks and try and continue Australia's pain | Photo: James Gourley/AAP
Bash the front door down
When the All Blacks are at their best, the backline is firing with speed and intent that very few teams can stop.
That speed was on show against the Wallabies, where most of the backline will take all the plaudits, and rightly so, but you’re only as good as your forward pack.
The likes of Wallace Sititi, Scott Barrett, and Peter Lakai all featured strongly with ball in hand, beating defenders and forcing the Wallabies to miss tackle after tackle.
Their late footwork at the line was superb, and directly led to the All Blacks being able to play with lightning quick ruck speed and momentum on the back of their forward pack.
If Rennie’s side can force Scotland to defend phase after phase and be constantly on the back foot, the backline will reap the benefits.
Scotland at Murrayfield will be a stiffer challenge for the All Blacks, and the contact area battle may be closer, but four Tests against South Africa will have left Rennie's side better equipped for the physical battle.
Kick-off for All Blacks vs Scotland is Sunday 3.10am (NZ time).
