By Liam Napier in Edinburgh
Seven stitches, two gashes and three hugely influential plays in a match-saving cameo. Damian McKenzie had quite the thief-in-the-night impact in the Edinburgh test. Without him, the All Blacks could well have suffered their first defeat to Scotland.
Victories at Murrayfield, particularly on a centenary occasion such as this, are increasingly difficult to attain.
The All Blacks, though, after blowing a 17-point halftime lead, took their foot off Scotland’s throats by playing for half an hour one man short to require another bailout salvage mission from the bench.
McKenzie injected notable punch as the All Blacks scored three tries to blow Ireland away in the final quarter in Chicago last week but he took that to another level to quell a fever-pitch, expectant, hopeful and ultimately deflated atmosphere at Edinburgh’s storied rugby venue.
Having witnessed the All Blacks largely dominate the first half, McKenzie emerged off the bench to replace Caleb Clarke after the winger copped a blow to the head. It was a chaotic period where Ardie Savea received the second of the All Blacks’ three yellow cards and Scotland scored two tries to level the captivating contest.
With the All Blacks clinging on after surviving sustained Scottish raids McKenzie stepped up with a series of clutch, match-saving plays.
In a telling eight-minute spell, McKenzie delivered a 50-22 that carried the All Blacks five metres out from Scotland’s line. He then, somehow, defied physics to push off Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn and twist around to ground the ball in the corner to regain the lead.
And to finish the salvage job, McKenzie nailed a long-range penalty with blood streaming down his face.
“I don’t usually wear long sprigs, but it might’ve been that to keep me in,” McKenzie, sporting seven stitches in two gashes on his face, said of his try. “There was a bit of luck. It helps when you’ve got a great forward pack. We had an advantage, so we had a free shot at it.
“As an impact player it’s about reading the game, coming on and injecting energy where you can. The first half of that 20 minutes we were on defence most of the time. I’m pleased with how we were able to withstand that and turn it around to play some attacking rugby. Coming away with the win here at Murrayfield is extremely pleasing.”
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson praised McKenzie’s late feats that saved his side’s blushes but the truth is they can’t mask another patchy performance.
“D-Mac was pretty handy wasn’t he? Player of the day in 20-odd minutes,” Robertson said. “You need someone who is clutch and he’s pretty mercurial. He can kick a 50-22, score a try and kick that penalty. You know he’s going to inject something and he did. His timing, his skillset. He’s not big but he’s tough.”
While the All Blacks quest for the Grand Slam pushes on to London next week discipline must swiftly improve after Leroy Carter, Ardie Savea and Wallace Sititi heaped pressure on their side through yellow cards.
Carter’s foot trip was the worst brain snap, but the others proved more costly as Scotland surged back into the match to revive their passionate, vocal crowd.
“Myself getting a yellow card ... we’ve got to be more accurate,” stand-in skipper Savea said. “Those are individual fixes. We’ll look hard in the mirror but that’s footy.
“Scotland grew another leg. They’re a quality side – 17-0 up, they’re going to throw everything at you and they did. Parts of that game, we didn’t handle it. When we are in the lead like that, how can we be more ruthless? Because we weren’t.
“I’m proud of the boys. It could have gone either way. The crowd in the background, we had to take a breath and move towards that pressure and what the Scottish were bringing and nail our next moment. I thought we did that towards the end.
“We’re sitting here acting like we lost. We won. In rugby, you’re never happy or satisfied but to come out of that in the special occasion for Murrayfield, under the pressure we were, we’re happy.”
On a night when the All Blacks etched another memorable chapter to extend their 120-year, 33-match unbeaten record over these opponents, Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu, one of the local’s standout performers from the midfield, believed the visitors were there for the taking in the second half.
“Yeah, I really do,” Tuipulotu said. “That game felt different to the one three years ago when we were up at 60 minutes. I felt like the momentum shift that happened around 45-50 minutes was one of the biggest I’ve had in a game. The rugby we were playing in that block felt close to inevitable.
“When the scoreline was 17-all, we could have stayed a little bit more aggressive but we’ll have to look back at that.”
Alas, Scotland are left to rue another what-if shot at history. They must now stew on another one that got away and wait until next year for their next crack at Robertson’s men.
The All Blacks, while anything but convincing, will regroup and attempt to recover for another huge assignment at Twickenham where, to all but seal their first Grand Slam in 15 years, they must halt England’s nine-match winning run.
“It’s important you understand test footy is tough,” Robertson said. “The atmosphere, the occasion, the week was great. In a Grand Slam you’re going to have adversity and we did. We’re really pleased with the guys who came off the bench they performed really well.”
If the first two matches of this tour are any guide, the All Blacks may need another late spark to overcome England.
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.