All Blacks v Scotland: 33 Tests, no Scottish win, and a Murrayfield that believes this is the one

The All Blacks open their northern tour against Scotland at a sold-out Murrayfield on Sunday morning New Zealand time (3.10am NZDT, 8 November; 2.10pm Saturday in Edinburgh), in front of about 67,000 people. It is the 34th Test between the two countries, Scotland have never won one, and this week both camps have said out loud that the gap has never been smaller. The All Blacks name their team on Friday morning New Zealand time. Here is everything known before they do.

A hard week

The tour began with a loss that had nothing to do with rugby. Logan Cadwallader, the All Blacks' head of security for ten years, died after a medical event at the team hotel in Edinburgh on Sunday 1 November. Forwards coach Jason Ryan told New Zealand media the team was heartbroken, and attack coach Mike Blair said it had been "a tough couple of days". We have published a separate tribute.

The team trained through persistent rain at Merchiston Castle School in south-west Edinburgh, their first full session coming on Tuesday.

What is at stake

This is not a friendly. The three November Tests are the second half of the first Nations Championship, and the tables carried over from July. New Zealand won all three of their home games then, 34-32 over France, 47-17 over Italy and 40-21 over Ireland. South Africa also won three from three and lead the southern table on points difference, by 31.

In the north, France lead with 12 points, Scotland have 11 and England and Ireland 10. Scotland earned theirs by beating Argentina 47-38 in Córdoba with seven tries, losing 42-28 to South Africa in Pretoria with a bonus point, and beating Fiji 33-17.

The finals weekend is at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November, with each hemisphere's first-placed team meeting the other's, second meeting second, and so on down to sixth. The final is at 5.40am on Monday 30 November, New Zealand time. As the tables stand, the All Blacks and Scotland would meet again in London in the second-against-second match three weeks after Murrayfield. To play in the final instead, the All Blacks need to overtake the Springboks, which makes points difference, and so every try, matter.

All three Tests are live on Sky Sport.

The All Blacks: "fully loaded"

Head coach Dave Rennie's staff have been unusually direct about selection. "We'll definitely pick our strongest side this week against Scotland," Jason Ryan told RNZ. Blair, to the BBC: "We're fully loaded. We're ready to go."

What has been signalled:

• Damian McKenzie will start at first five-eighth, with Beauden Barrett at fullback, the dual-playmaker pairing from the two Bledisloe Cup wins. "I really like him and Beauden together," Rennie said when he named the squad.
• Richie Mo'unga (calf) is not available; Rennie called him a good chance for Wales. Ethan Blackadder (calf) is also out. The Herald reported they are the only two of the 36-man squad not fit.
• Scott Barrett and Fabian Holland are expected to continue at lock. Holland missed all of Super Rugby after shoulder surgery, was left out of the first Bledisloe Test, then starred in Sydney. "We thought he was outstanding," Ryan said.
• Peter Lakai is expected in the loose forwards. Leicester Fainga'anuku, picked as a loose forward and described by Rennie as a hybrid who gives the bench flexibility, is thought more likely to play against Wales after a broken leg and a concussion limited his season.
• Codie Taylor captains the side with Ardie Savea injured. Prop Saula Ma'u and first five Josh Jacomb are the uncapped players in the squad.

The team that beat Australia 43-21 in Sydney on 17 October is the baseline, and at least three of that 23 must change: Samisoni Taukei'aho (calf) and Shannon Frizell (knee) are injured, and Du'Plessis Kirifi was not selected for the tour. That day the starting side was George Bower, Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell, Scott Barrett, Fabian Holland, Tupou Vaa'i, Peter Lakai, Wallace Sititi, Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Josh Moorby, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Quinn Tupaea, Will Jordan and Beauden Barrett, and it led 36-7 at halftime.

Mike Blair comes home

The week's best subplot is Blair. The All Blacks' attack coach is 45, born and raised in Edinburgh, and played 85 Tests for Scotland at halfback, 14 as captain. He played New Zealand four times and lost heavily each time. "I contributed to quite a lot of New Zealand's victories," he told RNZ. He then assisted Scotland coach Gregor Townsend for several years and was head coach of Edinburgh before working with Rennie in Japan.

Now he is on the other side of the record. "We're really proud of that record," he said of New Zealand's unbeaten run. He and Townsend have spoken this week, he said, but both are a little more cagey than usual.

Scotland: belief, and a hundred for Russell

Scotland are sixth in the world and third in this year's Six Nations, where they beat an England side on a 12-match winning run and put 50 points on France. They are unbeaten in four Tests at Murrayfield. Townsend, who has coached them since 2017 and is in his final cycle, lost 62-31 and 69-20 to New Zealand as a player. "As a player, I don't think we ever felt we could win," he told the BBC. "I've not felt that as a coach."

Finn Russell, 34, plays his 100th international counting his British and Irish Lions Tests; he has 95 Scotland caps. Remarkably, it is only his fourth Test against the All Blacks in more than 12 years, and the other three were all close defeats. "We've definitely got the belief," he said.

Townsend named a 37-man squad led by centre Sione Tuipulotu (41 caps), with Zander Fagerson (84), Jonny Gray (83), Matt Fagerson (66), Blair Kinghorn (65), Huw Jones (63), Darcy Graham (57), Duhan van der Merwe (54), Scott Cummings (52), Pierre Schoeman (52) and Rory Sutherland (51) its most experienced players. Kinghorn and Jones return after missing the July tour. Since then flanker Jamie Ritchie (knee) and prop Elliot Millar Mills (leg) have been ruled out after injuries on club duty, and Edinburgh's uncapped prop Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, prop D'arcy Rae and flanker Freddy Douglas have been called in.

There is a New Zealand connection in the Scottish camp too. Josh McKay, the former Canterbury, Highlanders and Crusaders fullback now at Glasgow, is training with the squad and is reported to become eligible on residency later this month.

The history

New Zealand have won 31 of the 33 Tests. The two draws were 0-0 in 1964 and 25-25 in 1983, both at Murrayfield. The first Test was in 1905 at Inverleith, won 12-7 by the Originals. Andrew Mehrtens scored 108 points against Scotland in seven Tests, the most by an All Black, and Jonah Lomu and Tana Umaga share the try record with seven each.

But the recent games have been tight. The last four have been decided by eight points or fewer. Last year the All Blacks led 17-0 at halftime, collected three yellow cards, let Scotland draw level and won 25-17 only when McKenzie scored in the corner and kicked a late penalty. Ryan's themes for the week were defence and discipline for exactly that reason.

The two teams meet again in Dunedin in 2027, Scotland's last match before the World Cup and their first Test in New Zealand since 2000.

The officials, and what they will be watching

Andrew Brace of Ireland is the referee, with Andrea Piardi (Italy) and Jordan Way (Australia) as assistants and Olly Hodges (Ireland) the television match official. This is the first window under World Rugby's new hip-drop tackle law, in force since 1 November, and with television match officials told to intervene only for the clear and obvious. Scrums and lineouts must form within 30 seconds.

What comes next

The All Blacks team is named on Friday morning New Zealand time and Scotland's overnight before that. We will publish both in full, side by side, with Test caps and clubs, as soon as they are out, and a full report on Sunday.

Sources: allblacks.com; RNZ (Patrick McKendry), 27 October to 4 November 2026; 1News (Stephen Foote), 3 and 4 November; NZ Herald (Ben Francis), 2 and 3 November; Scottish Rugby; BBC Sport Scotland.