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Scotsman
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
'Massively proud' Scotland land historic win over Māori All Blacks with huge defensive effort
Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The numbers and names on the backs of the Scotland jerseys were falling off long before the end but there was no drop off in effort from the tourists as they produced a formidable defensive effort to beat the Māori All Blacks for the first time. This match was hard won. Scotland led 29-12 early in the second half in Whangārei but never looked entirely comfortable and their hosts worked their way back, scoring two converted tries to make it a three-point game with 14 minutes remaining. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scots held on, standing up to the rumbling forward incursions. With the clock in the red, one attack lasted 28 phases before they eventually went back for a Māori penalty. This was the pattern: attack, penalty, kick to the corner, lineout, repeat. But, in the 87th minute, messy ball out of the back of the maul allowed Scotland to pile through and steal it. The ball was shipped back to Rory Hutchinson who booted it dead to give Scotland a 29-26 victory. Scotland's Stafford McDowall, top, celebrates with Rory Hutchinson and Arron Reed after the win over the Maori All Blacks. | SNS Group / SRU It may have been a non-cap match but you wouldn't have known it from watching the action unfold and Stafford McDowall, the Scotland captain, was rightly proud. 'I think that was just two teams chucking it all at each other for 80 minutes, as you could see at the end from all the bodies,' said the centre. 'I'm massively proud of the shift from the boys to dig in against a real good team. 'We talked at half-time, we'd put ourselves in a good position to lead but we knew the Māori were going to come back and chuck everything at us and they did that and we probably lost control for 15 to 20 minutes. In the past we might have lost that game but the boys really dug in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tribute to Mighty Mouse 'We wanted to get this tour off to a good start and we're really proud of the effort of the boys and it was a privilege to play here against this team in front of a packed crowd.' Scotland have famously never beaten the All Blacks but they've never beaten the Māori All Blacks either and this was a notable win against opponents with a fierce sense of identity. The pre-match Haka was suitably menacing and left no-one in doubt as to what was at stake at Semenoff Stadium. Scotland had selected an experimental side and there were first appearances from Fin Richardson, the Glasgow tighthead who looked solid in the scrum, and Alexander Masibaka and Fergus Burke, who both came off the bench. There were also returns from long-term injuries for Andy Onyeama-Christie and Ollie Smith and they played a big part in the win. Onyeama-Christie carried hard while Smith was one of Scotland's most potent threats, creating tries for Harry Paterson and Arron Reed with some smart kicking. George Horne was also excellent, scoring a try in each half and combining well with Adam Hastings. Scotland seemed to lose some control when the half-back pair went off. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tributes were paid pre-match to both Ian McLauchlan, the former Scotland captain who died last month, and Luke Crawford, the late Māori All Blacks kaumātua, or elder. McDowall laid down a jersey bearing McLauchlan's number and also gifted a claymore to their hosts. Harry Paterson scores Scotland's first try against the Maori All Blacks in Whangarei. | SNS Group / SRU It was Scotland who had the cutting edge in the first half as their kicking game put the Māori on the backfoot. The Scots' backline pace caused the hosts all sorts of problems. The threaded kicks in behind had the Māori All Blacks chasing back and it was the Scots who were winning the foot races. All three of their first-half tries came this way but not before the Māori got off to a flying start. There were only 39 seconds on the clock when scrum-half Sam Nock scored the opening try after Zarn Sullivan's chip and chase. It was a wake-up call for the tourists who quickly responded. Scotland debutant sees yellow after a minute Scotland forced the Māori back into their 22 and, when Smith put through a well-judged grubber, Paterson was alert to the chase. The referee thought the Edinburgh winger had grounded the ball on the line and did not initially award the try but the TMO told him to overturn his decision when replays made it clear Paterson had got there in the nick of time. Hastings' conversion moved Scotland 7-5 ahead and the stand-off added a penalty five minutes later. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scotland were looking good at this point as the Māori struggled under the high ball. They couldn't deal with a Horne box kick and as the ball went loose, Rory Hutchinson hacked on. Horne's speed did the rest, the scrum-half outpacing the home defence to score. Hastings converted to make it 17-5 and the Scots then had to endure some sticky moments as the home side found a way back into the game. Their cause wasn't helped by the loss of Ben Muncaster to injury and his replacement, Masibaka, was sin-binned within a minute of coming on, an ignominious start to his Scotland career. It wasn't entirely his fault; McDowall had been warned about his side's persistent offending and Masibaka paid the penalty. The Māori All Blacks quickly took advantage, Isaia Walker-Leawere scoring from TK Howden's pass. Reihana's conversion cut Scotland's lead to 17-12 but Reed gave them a timely fillip with a try just before half-time. Once again, Smith was the creator, spotting the gap and kicking through for Reed to score. Hastings' conversion meant Scotland went in at half-time 24-12 ahead and they were able to extend the lead when Māori lost two players to the sin-bin early in the second half. TK Howden was first to go, for slapping the ball out of play, and he was soon joined by Bailyn Sullivan for a deliberate knock-on. Playing against 13, Scotland needed to take advantage and they did, Horne scoring his second try after a fine move involving Hastings, Hutchinson and Reed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scotland's George Horne scores his second try in the win over the Maori All Blacks at the Semenoff Stadium. | SNS Group / SRU Hastings couldn't convert - it was the only one he missed - but the Scots now had a 17-point advantage. It didn't last long. Kurt Ekland was on the end of a lineout drive to reduce the arrears and then Gideon Wrampling finished from Zarn Sullivan's long pass. Both tries were converted and Scotland's advantage was now only three points. The Scots held on with a resolute last stand, despite a yellow card for Cam Henderson in the dying moments. Teams and scorers Scorers: Māori All Blacks: Tries: Nock, Walker-Leawere, Eklund, Wrampling. Cons: Reihana 2, Trask. Scotland: Tries: Paterson, Horne 2, Reed. Cons: Hastings 3. Pens: Hastings Yellow cards: Masibaka (Sco, 32min), Howden (NZ, 43min), B Sullivan (NZ, 45min), Henderson (Sco, 80min). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Māori All Blacks: Zarn Sullivan; Cole Forbes, Bailyn Sullivan, Gideon Wrampling, Daniel Rona; Rivez Reihana, Sam Nock; Jared Proffit, Kurt Eklund (capt), Kershawl Sykes-Martin, Antonio Shalfoon, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Te Kamaka Howden, Jahrome Brown, Cullen Grace. Replacements: Jacob Devery, Pouri Rakete-Stones, Benet Kumeroa, Laghlan McWhannell, Caleb Delany, Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, Kaleb Trask, Corey Evans. Scotland: Ollie Smith; Harry Paterson, Rory Hutchinson, Stafford McDowall (capt), Arron Reed; Adam Hastings, George Horne (vice-capt); Nathan McBeth, Patrick Harrison, Fin Richardson, Marshall Sykes, Cameron Henderson, Josh Bayliss (vice-capt), Andy Onyeama-Christie, Ben Muncaster. Replacements: George Turner, Alec Hepburn, Will Hurd, Max Williamson, Gregor Brown, Alexander Masibaka, Fergus Burke, Jamie Dobie. Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia).
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Samoa 12-41 Scotland: Have your say
That was much more like it from Scotland. Well-behaved in defence, clinical in attack. Who needs Huwipulotu when you have Stafford McDowall and Rory Hutchinson? All they need now is a decent what did you make of the win over Samoa? Who stood out?And what about the summer tour as a whole? Have your say here.
Daily Record
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Dumfries and Galloway rugby star to win 14th Scotland cap against Samoa
Stafford McDowall has been restored to Gregor Townsend's team for the final game of the Skyscanner Pacific Tour. Stafford McDowall is set to win his 14th cap for Scotland this weekend. The Dundrennan star has been named in Gregor Townsend's starting line-up for Friday's game against Samoa. It's the final game of Scotland's Skyscanner Pacific Tour. McDowall, who came through the ranks at Stewartry RFC and plays club rugby for Glasgow Warriors, captained the side for the opening game of their tour against the Maori All Blacks. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. He didn't feature in last weekend's loss to Fiji but is now back in the team for the match with Samoa. The game will be played at Eden Park in Auckland – the first time Scotland have played there since facing England in the 2011 World Cup. The match kicks-off at 8.35am UK time.
Daily Record
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Dumfries and Galloway rugby star leads Scotland to first ever win over Maori All Blacks
Stafford McDowall captained Gregor Townsend's team to victory in the opening game of their Skyscanner Pacific Tour. Stafford McDowall led Scotland to their first ever victory over the Maori All Blacks. The centre from Dundrennan captained Gregor Townsend's team for the opening game of their Skyscanner Pacific Tour. And they saw off a late rally to record a 26-29 victory at the Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei. McDowall, who plays his club rugby for Glasgow Warriors, had previously captained Scotland against Fiji last year. He was also co-captain when they defeated Canada last summer. He has previously picked up 13 caps for the senior side, although Saturday's encounter was classed as a non-cap international. Scotland's summer tour continues against Fiji in Suva on Saturday before the final match against Samoa in Auckland on July 18. McDowall, who came through the ranks at Stewartry RFC, said: 'These are three tough matches we're out here playing against three big physical teams and boys will know if they can lay a marker down here then it will go a long way with the coaches. 'I think it's massive being able to learn from guys who've been in the environment for a long time and guys who've experienced test-match rugby. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. 'Hopefully it benefits these guys massively being around guys with a bit more test-match experience and they can put that on the pitch.'
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'In the past we might have lost that game' - McDowall on Maori All Blacks win
Stand-in captain Stafford McDowall believes Scotland "might have lost that game" in the past, as his side held on for a famous victory over a relentless Maori All Blacks side. The Scots had a 17-point lead at one stage in the second-half but saw that gap close to just three points by the full-time whistle. Advertisement "Two teams chucking it all at each other for 80 minutes," was how McDowall described it. "You could see at the end, just from all the bodies. "I'm just massively proud of the shift from the boys to dig in at the end against a real good team." The Maoris had the visitors camped on their own line with the clock dead, but a huge defensive effort from Scotland turned the ball over and won the game. "We talked at half time that we'd put ourselves in a good position to lead but we knew the Maoris would come back and chuck everything at us," McDowall added. "They did that and we probably lost control for 20 minutes, and in the past we might have lost that game but proud of the boys for digging in and getting the job done." Advertisement The Glasgow Warriors centre, 27, skippered in the absence of tour captain Rory Darge who was rested before games against Fiji and Samoa. "We looked at this first game as an opportunity to launch this tour off to a good start. We're really proud of the effort of the boys, but also it's just a privilege to play here against this boys in front of a packed crowd."
