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Sione Tuipulotu labelled this latest All Black agony a ‘tough pill to swallow’ after Scotland rallied from 17 points down only to ship a late try to slip to another painful defeat.
New Zealand had looked well in command at the interval but Gregor Townsend’s side stormed back at the start of the second half to draw level, a period that Tuipulotu felt was among the best the team had played in recent years.
Scotland, benefiting from three All Black yellow cards, looked well set to go on and land their first victory in this fixture in 120 years only for them to be suckered once more at the death.
Damian McKenzie scored a try six minutes from time and then added a late penalty as New Zealand recovered to claim their second successive eight-point victory at Murrayfield.
Scotland will come to regret twice being held up over the line in the first half, while Darcy Graham also couldn’t finish in the corner when the home team were in the ascendancy.
Tuipulotu admitted it was still too raw to properly assess everything that had unfolded over 80 pulsating minutes but conceded it was another tough one to take as the Scotland captain lamented another hard luck story.
Scotland skipper Sione Tuipulotu and Finn Russell (behind) are gutted in defeat
Darcy Graham was one of many Scots to rue missed chances against New Zealand
All Blacks scrum-half Cam Roigard celebrates his early try at Murrayfield
He said: ‘I'm gutted for all the players, fans and coaches. I know how much goes into a performance like that. I don't want to say I'm proud of the group and we played well because I think we're a better team than that now.
‘And we showed in that game that we could have got what we wanted and what we came here to do today and that's win. So, it’s a tough pill to swallow right now.
‘Me and the group and the coaches are hurting as you can imagine. That game felt a little bit different to the one three years ago when we were up at 60 minutes.
‘I just felt like the momentum shift that happened around 45-50 minutes today was probably one of the biggest that I've ever seen in a game I’ve played in. The rugby we were playing there in that block of 20 minutes, it felt pretty close to inevitable [that we were going to win], you know?
‘The way we were moving the ball, getting to contacts and wide breakdowns and stuff like that and putting them under pressure and making them force their discipline, dragging a few yellow cards. I felt like that period there was some of the best rugby that I've been a part of when I've been playing for Scotland.
‘It's a hard question to answer right now [about what lessons they can learn]. Over the next couple of days, we'll look at the tape and see where we could have grown.
‘But it seems to me that the four opportunities when we were in their 22 to score, if they're taken, maybe the game's a little bit different. So that's the only part I can reflect on now. The mood is as you can expect, probably. We just lost a really big game but I think we've really matured as a group as well.
‘That 20 minutes that we played straight after half-time is some of the best Scotland have played in the last at least three years that I've been a part of. We need to find a way to get more of that in an 80-minute game. I think that's the main takeaway of today.’
Kyle Steyn crossed over to kickstart a stirring second-half fightback that fell short
New Zealand’s winning try started from a 50:22 kick by McKenzie and was one of their few attacks in the second period.
Tuipulotu added: ‘It's a gut punch. Jeez, you’re at 17-all there and he puts one five metres out from the line. But we understand that's the type of players that they have in their changing room.
‘We still stood there and defended our line well and made them score right in the far corner. And McKenzie had a really good finish there.
‘I thought we dominated that second half in every way. Defensively as well. Even when we had to defend, I thought we were being offensive-minded. Then when we got the ball, we put them under so much pressure that we were forcing yellow cards and penalties and ultimately tries.’
Tuipulotu revealed he was blown away by the response of the Murrayfield crowd as Scotland rallied from 17-0 down to draw level on the hour mark.
‘At 17-all, I could truly say that it felt like the stadium was hovering when Finn [Russell] kicked that penalty. And it's a credit to Murrayfield. What an amazing feeling. I know I'm a little bit biased, but I genuinely feel that's the best stadium in the world. And we've got the best fans in the world. I know they will be so disappointed just as we are.
