Townsend praises defensive effort as Scotland hang on to beat Maori All Blacks 29-26 in tour opener
GREGOR TOWNSEND praised a huge defensive effort from his players as Scotland held firm to beat the Maori All Blacks in a thrilling contest in Whangarei.
Scotland led 29-12 at one point during the second half and looked good value to go on and secure a commanding victory.
But, with both teams throwing the ball around and playing some excellent attacking rugby, the Maori All Blacks fought back to tee-up a nail-biting finale.
They went through 27 phases right at the death as the clock went deep into overtime, pummelling away at Scotland's defensive line.
But the visitors held firm to secure a first-ever win over the Māoris, ensuring that their summer tour started in a positive fashion.
'It would have been devastating to lose at the end having led for so long, so we're glad we saw it through. The defence was excellent,' said Scotland head coach Townsend.
'The Maori put us under a lot of pressure at the end and really came back at us, but we found a way to win.
'Jamie Dobie and Fergus Burke were massive for us at the end and really helped us win the turnover to shift the momentum.
'I was so proud of the effort, especially at the end of the game. The players showed what playing for Scotland means to them.
'We knew it would be tough. The Maori All Blacks have a good record against international teams, especially at home.
'The players don't officially win a cap, but that was a Test match in terms of the quality and physicality we faced.
'The Maori are a quality side and we decided to put a team out that wasn't as experienced, knowing it'll be a great development and learning experience for them.'
Scotland will now head off to face Fiji in Suva next weekend, before returning to New Zealand to face Samoa in Auckland.
'We know next week will be an even tougher test,' added Townsend. 'We are playing a Fiji team who have some outstanding individuals and are ranked in the top 10 in the world.
'We will make some changes to the team next week, but this was a good win that sets us up nicely for the next two games.'
Stafford McDowall captained Scotland against the Māoris and had a fine game in the centre alongside Rory Hutchinson.
Indeed, all of Scotland's backline played well, with Ollie Smith also impressing at full-back on his first Scotland appearance since the 2023 World Cup.
McDowall believes this was a game that Scotland could well have lost in the past, but praised the resilience and mental fortitude of the team to dig in and get the win.
'That was two teams just chucking everything at each other for 80 minutes,' he said. 'I'm so proud of the boys for the defensive shift towards the end against a really good team.
'We spoke at half-time about putting ourselves in a good position, but we knew the Māoris were going to come back at us.
'We probably lost control a little bit for 15 or 20 minutes and they managed to score a couple of tries.
'In the past, we might have lost that game. But I'm proud of how we were able to dig in and get the win.
'This was an opportunity to launch the tour with a good start and thankfully we were able to do that.'
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