New Zealand secured a 43-21 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield in the Nations Championship, scoring seven tries with Beauden Barrett crossing twice, while Scotland's Ewan Ashman recorded a hat-trick in a first half that saw the hosts stay within three points at the break.
Scotland's second-half collapse
Scotland failed to add any points after halftime, as New Zealand ran in 19 unanswered points to pull clear. The All Blacks' tally included a try from Wallace Sititi, who was shown a yellow card along with Peter Lakai in the first half, as well as scores from Codie Taylor, Josh Moorby and Asafo Aumua.
The defeat was described as dispiritingly routine, with Scotland appearing disconnected in their first outing of the season. The home side's captain, Sione Tuipulotu, was also sent to the sin bin in the second half as the All Blacks dominated possession.
Ashman's hat-trick
Ashman's three tries came in the first half, with two from lineouts and one from open play. His second try followed a penalty to the corner after Lakai's yellow card, with Kyle Steyn and Kyle Rowe breaking down the wings before Ashman finished off a pass from Ben White.
New Zealand secured their bonus point after half an hour, with tries from Sititi, De Groot, Taylor and Barrett. The visitors led 21-24 at halftime despite the yellow cards, with Scotland penalised more often but New Zealand's offences coming under peak pressure.
All Blacks pull away
In the third quarter, New Zealand extended their lead through Moorby's try from a scrum, after Scott Barrett's long pass. Tuipulotu's sin bin allowed the All Blacks to add another, with McKenzie looping round Quinn Tupaea to put Beauden Barrett over for his second.
Aumua's try in the final quarter, New Zealand's seventh, came from another attacking lineout, with Lakai looping blind to send the hooker through. The win leaves New Zealand with four wins and four bonus points from four matches in the Southern Hemisphere group, alongside South Africa, who beat Italy 66-7 earlier on Saturday.
