Tuipulotu urges Scotland to outlast All Blacks and end long Murrayfield hoodoo

Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu has called on his side to sustain their intensity for a full 80 minutes if they are to end their wait for a first victory over New Zealand, with the All Blacks visiting Murrayfield for a Test that Tuipulotu expects to be decided by fine margins.

The Glasgow centre was part of the Scotland squad that fought back from 17-0 down against New Zealand last year, levelling the score before conceding a late try to lose the match. That near-miss, he says, has shaped how Gregor Townsend’s group has approached the months since.

“We learned a lot about finishing off games and we carry a lot of disappointment from that game just because we had come back from 17 points down and really wrestled back momentum to the point where it was pretty overwhelming,” Tuipulotu said.

Despite the defeat, Tuipulotu believes the experience left Scotland with something tangible. “It gives us confidence that we can create a game that can overwhelm the All Blacks at times,” he said. “I hope that over the last 12 months the experiences that we’ve had against other top teams put us in good stead for the last 15 minutes.”

Scotland have since recorded wins over England and France in Edinburgh, and Tuipulotu, who was born in Australia, feels the squad has matured through a demanding schedule that included a Test in Pretoria against world champions South Africa.

“We’ve been through a lot in the last 12 months, as coaching staff, as a playing group and as a team together,” he said. “I do feel like we’ve progressed a lot and it’s been the experiences that have allowed us to progress.”

New Zealand arrive at Murrayfield in strong form, having scored 93 points across two wins over Australia last month, though they were beaten in a series against South Africa before that. Tuipulotu sees stylistic similarities between the two sides that could make for a closely contested afternoon.

“I do think we play a similar style — we want to hold on to the ball and get into deep phase count and challenge the defence. That’s definitely how the All Blacks have been playing,” he said. “I think who’s going to win is basically who’s going to be tougher for longer.”

The Scotland captain acknowledged that both teams will have their moments, and framed the contest as a test of which side can better ride the momentum swings that defined last year’s meeting. “I hope we can pose a little bit of a different challenge with the ball,” he added.