November 8, 2025 • 6 mins
Scotland cut it close, but they were ultimately defeated by the All Blacks in Murrayfield.
The Kiwi side left with a 25-17 win victory, despite allowing the Scots back into the game after halftime and get back to 17-all.
Scottish rugby journalist David Barnes joined Piney to discuss further.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Bene
from Newstalk Deed be.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Your Sunday morning Christmas new nit the All Blacks on
twenty five seen.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Let's get you to Scotland and bring in a long
time Scottish rugby journalist with the off sideline, David Barnes
who watched on at Murrayfield. Thanks for joining us, David.
How gutted will Scotland be to let a really good
opportunity slip to finally beat the All Blacks?
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Very gutted, very gutted the press conference so only two
plot who I mean, you felt for the guy he
was you know, he's beside himself and you can understand why.
It's been a lot of long time and we've been
close to you guys in the past, you know, the
last couple of years. I think, you know, it really
felt like we had you on the ropes, didn't it
with about twenty minutes to go. And I think in
the past we've gook closes. It's maybe because we've scored
(01:02):
a try against the run of player kind of sneaked
up on you. But as this time you kind of felt,
you know, felt like we'd we would finally crossed that
fal step that didn't quite make it.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
So what was it that prevented that from happening? Have
you been able to sort of analyze and break down
what happened that that allowed the All Blacks to get
away with this one?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, we talked about it a bit after the game.
I think it was it was a fifty to twenty
two from Demon mackenzie. I think Demon McKenzie, you know,
it's the only called it a gut punch, you know,
and then he scored to try himself with this amazing
finish at the end. So I mean, I don't think
you know, we worried that Scotland a bottler as we
talk about, you know, we bottled big games. I think
actually you have to give credit to the All Blacks.
(01:43):
Their bench had a bigger impact and Demon McKenzie was
the man for the moment in fairness, So in that sense,
while we're gutted, I think it's slightly easier to take that,
you know, it was just in the end probably the
better team one.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
What did you say from the Scottish side that allowed
them to come back from seventeen nails down to level
things up? At seventeen o.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Bush I knew the answer. I mean, halftime, you know
you're thinking this is you know, this is dead and buried.
There are momentum team. These Scottish guys. They've got a
really talented back line. They've got guys, you know, game
breakers in the back line, and when they just get
in the flow, they're just really hard to live with.
I think we struggle up front, so you know, you know,
(02:26):
I think it's just we just need it. We need
we always need this kind of flash of inspiration somewhere
to get the momentum going. And then when they're going,
it's great, but we just don't have that grunt up
front to kind of you know, you know, the tone
ourselves almost which it sounds quite harsh, but I think
that's probably the reality of it.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
What was the injury situation with Finn Russell.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, so we spoke to Gregor turns In about it.
At the end he strained his knee. They don't think
it's too serious. You guys will be aware what the
good character of Finn is. Gregor did come and see
Finn tells me and so he played on and I
mean that was early on, and he played onto the
seventy fifth minute. The reason they took them off is
he also got an ankle knock after that, you know,
towards the end, so they'll think two injuries will be
(03:11):
getting to push for luck here. And I think by
that point we realized that we weren't going to win it.
But they seem confident that it's you know, it is
fairly minor and that you should be available for next
week or certainly not out long term.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Will they be a degree of pride once the dust
sails on this on this die, you know, or there
was frustration, yes, but they'll be pride also.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
I think it looks like the headline for that, they'll said,
line piece, it's pretty and frustration after all of those lines. Yeah,
I think that's it, and I think quite rightly.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
So.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I mean, I think, you know, you don't want to
go seventeen mil down against the All Blacks, but I
think to come back from that, you know, you have
to you have to hold the head, you know, and
and to get the All Blacks on on on the
ropes like they did, the huge amount of pride and
I said, we've been close to you guys in the
past on the school. But we've been ahead of you
going into the final quarter. But I think that was
the first time where you really felt, you know, that
the Scotland were in control. So I mean, it's frustrating
(04:05):
that we didn't fin off, but you know, I think,
you know, it's a gallant loser things. I think some
of the more cynical Scotts are sitting here saying, let's
not say that. Let's you know, we need to be
we need to be a bit harder on the team.
We can't carry on being gallant losers. But I think
we just have to kind of I'm more optimistic than that,
So yeah, I think and I think the players should
certainly take a huge amount of pride from it.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
So we now we're almost in the midway point of
the of the World cap cycle. How do you assays
where the Scotland rugby team is two years out from
the next World Cap.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I have to say I'm a lot more optimistic now
than I was a three or four hours ago before kickoff.
I mean, we're in quite good We've got you know,
you know, we're missing Xander Fagas and the tight end
prop today and I have to say, Darcy re stood up.
But you know, we're We've got really good strength and
depths a certain areas, we're kind of thin in other areas.
(04:59):
We still don't have a pack that can dominate the position.
So I think, I think we're okay, We're okay, But yeah,
I just you know, the last two World Cups have
haven't gone well for us, so I'm just I'm love
to get too excited about it at the moment, but
we're okay. I mean, it's the last it's the last
rule of the dice for you know, for this generation
(05:21):
of players. You know, Stuart Hogg's already gone, but Finn
Russell's thirty two, thirty three. Now you know it'll be
thirty four by the saying the World Cup comes around.
You know, we've got to do it now or you know,
I think you do not do it. I don't think
we're gonna win the World Cup, but you know, kind
of have a real, a real go at it to
get to a quarter finals and this is this is
it's got to be now and never really I think for.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Us and Murrayfield as always just explained it from from
twelve thousand mills a while and now it's a place
you've been too often one hundred year celebration this way, Kane,
how was the occasion?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
It was? It was, I have to say it was excellent.
You know in that period in the middle of the
second half, when Scotland were on top and there's a
kind of impromptu you know, Flowers Scotland took off and
it echoed around the stadium and it's as loud as
I've heard that Flower Scotland been sang Mundyfield, So you know,
it was. It was a great atmosphere. There's a kind
of a new kind of matagment at the top of
(06:14):
the srut the moment, and they have spent a bit
of money kind of sprucing up the stadium and so
it's looking a lot better than it was, you know,
because it's an old stadium now it's forty years old.
But it was looking great, the atmosphere and the only
two applaud we spoke about it at the end that
you know, that was the heirs on the back of
the neck when the when in Flower of Scotland was
echoing around the stadium. So you know, in that sense
it was a great day to be a Scotland fan
(06:36):
at Murrayfield.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
I think brilliant stuff. Hi David, thank you for joining
us and staying up for us. Divid bands there out
of the off side line he writes for them. A
long time Scottish rugby journalist joining us here on News
talks Ed for.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
More from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live to
News talks Ed by weekends from midday, or follow the
podcast on I HAD Radio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Bene
from Newstalk Deed be.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Your Sunday morning Christmas new nit the All Blacks on
twenty five seen.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Let's get you to Scotland and bring in a long
time Scottish rugby journalist with the off sideline, David Barnes
who watched on at Murrayfield. Thanks for joining us, David.
How gutted will Scotland be to let a really good
opportunity slip to finally beat the All Blacks?
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Very gutted, very gutted the press conference so only two
plot who I mean, you felt for the guy he
was you know, he's beside himself and you can understand why.
It's been a lot of long time and we've been
close to you guys in the past, you know, the
last couple of years. I think, you know, it really
felt like we had you on the ropes, didn't it
with about twenty minutes to go. And I think in
the past we've gook closes. It's maybe because we've scored
(01:02):
a try against the run of player kind of sneaked
up on you. But as this time you kind of felt,
you know, felt like we'd we would finally crossed that
fal step that didn't quite make it.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
So what was it that prevented that from happening? Have
you been able to sort of analyze and break down
what happened that that allowed the All Blacks to get
away with this one?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, we talked about it a bit after the game.
I think it was it was a fifty to twenty
two from Demon mackenzie. I think Demon McKenzie, you know,
it's the only called it a gut punch, you know,
and then he scored to try himself with this amazing
finish at the end. So I mean, I don't think
you know, we worried that Scotland a bottler as we
talk about, you know, we bottled big games. I think
actually you have to give credit to the All Blacks.
(01:43):
Their bench had a bigger impact and Demon McKenzie was
the man for the moment in fairness, So in that sense,
while we're gutted, I think it's slightly easier to take that,
you know, it was just in the end probably the
better team one.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
What did you say from the Scottish side that allowed
them to come back from seventeen nails down to level
things up? At seventeen o.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Bush I knew the answer. I mean, halftime, you know
you're thinking this is you know, this is dead and buried.
There are momentum team. These Scottish guys. They've got a
really talented back line. They've got guys, you know, game
breakers in the back line, and when they just get
in the flow, they're just really hard to live with.
I think we struggle up front, so you know, you know,
(02:26):
I think it's just we just need it. We need
we always need this kind of flash of inspiration somewhere
to get the momentum going. And then when they're going,
it's great, but we just don't have that grunt up
front to kind of you know, you know, the tone
ourselves almost which it sounds quite harsh, but I think
that's probably the reality of it.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
What was the injury situation with Finn Russell.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, so we spoke to Gregor turns In about it.
At the end he strained his knee. They don't think
it's too serious. You guys will be aware what the
good character of Finn is. Gregor did come and see
Finn tells me and so he played on and I
mean that was early on, and he played onto the
seventy fifth minute. The reason they took them off is
he also got an ankle knock after that, you know,
towards the end, so they'll think two injuries will be
(03:11):
getting to push for luck here. And I think by
that point we realized that we weren't going to win it.
But they seem confident that it's you know, it is
fairly minor and that you should be available for next
week or certainly not out long term.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Will they be a degree of pride once the dust
sails on this on this die, you know, or there
was frustration, yes, but they'll be pride also.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
I think it looks like the headline for that, they'll said,
line piece, it's pretty and frustration after all of those lines. Yeah,
I think that's it, and I think quite rightly.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
So.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I mean, I think, you know, you don't want to
go seventeen mil down against the All Blacks, but I
think to come back from that, you know, you have
to you have to hold the head, you know, and
and to get the All Blacks on on on the
ropes like they did, the huge amount of pride and
I said, we've been close to you guys in the
past on the school. But we've been ahead of you
going into the final quarter. But I think that was
the first time where you really felt, you know, that
the Scotland were in control. So I mean, it's frustrating
(04:05):
that we didn't fin off, but you know, I think,
you know, it's a gallant loser things. I think some
of the more cynical Scotts are sitting here saying, let's
not say that. Let's you know, we need to be
we need to be a bit harder on the team.
We can't carry on being gallant losers. But I think
we just have to kind of I'm more optimistic than that,
So yeah, I think and I think the players should
certainly take a huge amount of pride from it.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
So we now we're almost in the midway point of
the of the World cap cycle. How do you assays
where the Scotland rugby team is two years out from
the next World Cap.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I have to say I'm a lot more optimistic now
than I was a three or four hours ago before kickoff.
I mean, we're in quite good We've got you know,
you know, we're missing Xander Fagas and the tight end
prop today and I have to say, Darcy re stood up.
But you know, we're We've got really good strength and
depths a certain areas, we're kind of thin in other areas.
(04:59):
We still don't have a pack that can dominate the position.
So I think, I think we're okay, We're okay, But yeah,
I just you know, the last two World Cups have
haven't gone well for us, so I'm just I'm love
to get too excited about it at the moment, but
we're okay. I mean, it's the last it's the last
rule of the dice for you know, for this generation
(05:21):
of players. You know, Stuart Hogg's already gone, but Finn
Russell's thirty two, thirty three. Now you know it'll be
thirty four by the saying the World Cup comes around.
You know, we've got to do it now or you know,
I think you do not do it. I don't think
we're gonna win the World Cup, but you know, kind
of have a real, a real go at it to
get to a quarter finals and this is this is
it's got to be now and never really I think for.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Us and Murrayfield as always just explained it from from
twelve thousand mills a while and now it's a place
you've been too often one hundred year celebration this way, Kane,
how was the occasion?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
It was? It was, I have to say it was excellent.
You know in that period in the middle of the
second half, when Scotland were on top and there's a
kind of impromptu you know, Flowers Scotland took off and
it echoed around the stadium and it's as loud as
I've heard that Flower Scotland been sang Mundyfield, So you know,
it was. It was a great atmosphere. There's a kind
of a new kind of matagment at the top of
(06:14):
the srut the moment, and they have spent a bit
of money kind of sprucing up the stadium and so
it's looking a lot better than it was, you know,
because it's an old stadium now it's forty years old.
But it was looking great, the atmosphere and the only
two applaud we spoke about it at the end that
you know, that was the heirs on the back of
the neck when the when in Flower of Scotland was
echoing around the stadium. So you know, in that sense
it was a great day to be a Scotland fan
(06:36):
at Murrayfield.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
I think brilliant stuff. Hi David, thank you for joining
us and staying up for us. Divid bands there out
of the off side line he writes for them. A
long time Scottish rugby journalist joining us here on News
talks Ed for.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
More from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live to
News talks Ed by weekends from midday, or follow the
podcast on I HAD Radio.
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