Scotland v New Zealand Rugby Winner Odds & Predictions – 18th November 2017

All Blacks to continue winning streak at Murrayfield

Rugby Betting

Belief. How far will that carry Scotland as they face up to New Zealand in a test at Murrayfield on the weekend? Scotland are on a thirty match losing streak against the All Blacks, a run of form which goes back to 1905. Last weekend Scotland opened their Autumn series with a thrilling, yet defensively unconvincing 44-38 victory over Samoa and coach Gregor Townsend has pretty much kept faith with the same players.

While Scotland ran up six tries in a game that they were always expected to win on home soil, seeing them concede five tries was pretty shocking on the whole and the coaching staff weren’t happy. They were torn apart and most of the tries than the Samoans ran in came just a few minutes after the Scots had touched down for one of their own. That will raise huge red flags, because New Zealand will punish them even harder if they have the same degree of defensive lapses in this one.

New Zealand, the World Cup holders have shown some recent signs that they can be rattled. After the Lions battled their way to a Series draw against them, they lost in the final match of their Bledisloe Cup series against Australia recently and they were run close by the Wallabies when they met in Dunedin as well. It’s all about trying to get pressure on the All Blacks, but that’s a lot easier said than done. But the Scots can take heart after having taken themselves a win over Australia back in the summer though.

The last time that New Zealand went to Murrayfield, they sent out a second-string side pretty much, although it still contained Dan Carter and Richie McCaw and still ran out 24-16 winners to keep their unbeaten history against the Scots going. There’s no taking this Test lightly by the visitors this time around though as coach Steve Hansen is sending out a strong side and nine of the starters for the All Blacks on Saturday started the first test against the Lions back in June.

New Zealand are massive 1/20 odds on favourites to win this Autumn Test, which leaves Scotland as 9/1 underdogs at Betfair to collect the victory. These two have met four times going back to 2009 and the margins of victories for the All Blacks, have, by and large, been big. Apart from that scrappy second string victory that they posted in 2014 at Murrayfield, the three previous victories that the All Blacks posted there had all been by margins of at least 25 points, the biggest of them a 46 points margin in a 49-3 victory back in 2010. A New Zealand -20 handicap is a price of even money at Betfair.