Blair says All Blacks will arrive at Murrayfield "fully loaded"
New Zealand assistant coach Mike Blair says the All Blacks will come to Murrayfield "fully loaded" for Saturday's match against Scotland. In rugby, the phrase means a full-strength squad, with nothing held back.
The game is a Nations Championship fixture, the international competition that puts the top northern and southern teams against each other in the autumn. It is being played in Edinburgh on Saturday 7 November, which is Sunday 8 November in New Zealand.
The build-up has been overshadowed by sad news. Logan Cadwallader, the All Blacks' head of security, died suddenly on Sunday, shortly after the squad arrived in Edinburgh. He had been part of the New Zealand set-up for 10 years, and the squad and its staff are grieving his loss.
On the field, the stakes are clear. Scotland have never beaten the All Blacks, losing all 33 meetings in 121 years of contact between the two sides. Blair said New Zealand are motivated to protect their unbeaten record against Scotland.
Blair knows the Scottish game from the inside. He played 85 times for Scotland and was head coach of Edinburgh from 2021 to 2023. That experience gives him a close view of the team he will be facing.
Last November, the two sides met at Murrayfield, and the match was tighter than the scoreline suggests. New Zealand led 17-0 at half-time. Scotland fought back to level the score with about 20 minutes to play, before the All Blacks held on to win 25-17, according to Reuters.
Scotland and New Zealand have drawn twice in their history. The All Blacks have won every other meeting between the teams.
New Zealand arrive under head coach Dave Rennie, who began his time in charge with three wins from three in the Nations Championship, Reuters reported in July. The competition has a simple shape for the fans: all 12 teams go through to a Finals Weekend, according to the All Blacks.
For Scotland, this is a home month. Their November fixtures at Scottish Gas Murrayfield are against New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Sione Tuipulotu will captain the side through all three.
Scotland's challenge is familiar. They need to keep the ball, win the collisions and stay in the contest for longer than they have managed in the past. New Zealand's challenge is to keep their composure through the spells when Scotland push. Both squads will do so on a weekend that has brought grief to one camp, and a chance to write a new chapter to the other.
