'We were nervous about it': Proud Ian Foster hails New Zealand's composure after battling back to beat Scotland

New Zealand head coach Ian Foster said he was “proud” of his team’s 31-23 victory over Scotland and hailed their composure in overturning a nine-point deficit in the second half.

The All Blacks were staring at their first-ever loss to Scotland with 20 minutes to go, but converted tries from Scott Barrett and Mark Telea allowed them to roar back and capitalise on the hosts having a man in the sin-bin. They were also helped by their replacements, with scrum-half TJ Perenara making a big difference and increasing the team’s tempo.

“We’re delighted to come to Murrayfied on this tour,” said Foster. “It’s always a game that we have found extremely difficult, particularly this year against a Scottish team that we think has grown in strength and is on the rise. They’ve been able to win some big Tests the past two years. It was one we were a wee bit nervous about, so I am delighted to get a good win.

"I’m pleased for two reasons. One, the composure in the last 20 minutes. When you are away from home against a team that’s got their tails up, it’s hard to turn it around. I thought the work done by Sammy (Whitleock) and the leaders on the park and the bench in particular gave us a lot of composure and allowed us to finish that match very strong. It’s a test win we are very proud of."

All Blacks captain Whitelock added: “It was tough. We were under pressure. We managed to simplify things down. Our bench was outstanding. They were direct and really changed the game for us.”