Dave Rennie has named his strongest available All Blacks side for the opening of their northern Nations Championship tour, featuring five changes from the team that defeated Australia in Sydney last month. New Zealand will face Scotland at Murrayfield this Saturday, 7 November 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 14:10 GMT.
Personnel adjustments for Murrayfield
The All Blacks’ starting XV sees the return of second five-eighth Jordie Barrett, who missed the 43-21 victory over the Wallabies on 17 October due to injury. Up front, Ethan de Groot returns to the loosehead prop position to anchor a front row alongside captain Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell. Locks Scott Barrett and Fabian Holland form the engine room, while the loose forward trio remains unchanged with Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai, and Tupou Vaa’i.
The replacements include Asafo Aumua, George Bower, Pasilio Tosi, Christian Lio-Willie, and Anton Segner, providing forward cover, while Cortez Ratima, Timoci Tavatavanawai, and Rieko Ioane serve as the backline options.
“Getting the opportunity to go against the best is what I love” Ben White looks ahead to this weekend’s showdown against the All Blacks 💙🖤#AsOne pic.twitter.com/TuacaUSkfI
— https://x.com/Scotlandteam/status/2118360801547599951
Richie Mo’unga remains sidelined with a calf injury, leaving Damian McKenzie to continue in the fly-half role alongside Cam Roigard. Assistant coach Jason Ryan confirmed Mo’unga is unlikely to feature until the following weekend against Wales. Ryan emphasized the team’s focus on maintaining their attacking identity while refining their decision-making. Although we want to still get the boys to play with skill and offload in the tackle, we’ve just got to make sure we get the balance right there,
Ryan stated. He noted that the squad is wary of forcing 50-50 plays that might have succeeded in previous conditions but require more discipline in the current environment.
Scotland’s side and coaching assessment
Scotland enters the clash with a side led by captain Sione Tuipulotu in the midfield alongside Huw Jones. Finn Russell will earn his 96th cap at fly-half, partnered by Ben White. The Scottish forward pack features an all-Glasgow Warriors loose five, with Jack Dempsey at number eight and Rory Sutherland starting at loosehead prop. Sutherland, who reached the 50-cap milestone against South Africa earlier this year, joins Zander Fagerson and hooker Ewan Ashman in the starting front row.
13 Warriors named to take on the All Blacks this weekend 🏴 Go well, lads 💙 pic.twitter.com/J7x6TTOuv3
— https://x.com/GlasgowWarriors/status/2118335442793767173
Scotland’s bench includes hooker Gregor Hiddleston, props Pierre Schoeman—who has now reached 50 caps—and Will Hurd, second row Max Williamson, and back-rower Josh Bayliss. The Scottish matchday 23 is completed by scrum-half George Horne and the versatile pair of Tom Jordan and Blair Kinghorn.
All Blacks assistant coach Jason Ryan acknowledged the evolution of the Scottish team, noting that they have maintained a consistent group for several years. Regarding the Scots’ ability to generate momentum, Ryan told media, They can use the ball really, really well with width, and they can get momentum pretty quick, so I think our defensive efforts will be really important this week.
All Blacks focus on immediate tasks despite standings deadlock
Looking at the Nations Championship standings, the All Blacks are currently deadlocked with the Springboks atop the Southern Hemisphere conference. While the team remains focused on the immediate task at Murrayfield, Ryan noted that the final standings depend on points differentials, with a potential finals weekend scheduled in a month’s time at Twickenham. We just want to win each game that’s in front of us,
Ryan said. I know it’s cliché, but you know, there’s obviously going to be the points for and against the side of it, and then everyone plays in a month’s time in the finals weekend. But we’ve prepared really genuinely against Scotland, and although we’ve had a bit of a roadblock today, we’ll be ready to go.
Matchday squads
| Position | New Zealand | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Beauden Barrett | Kyle Rowe |
| 14 | Will Jordan | Kyle Steyn |
| 13 | Quinn Tupaea | Huw Jones |
| 12 | Jordie Barrett | Sione Tuipulotu (c) |
| 11 | Josh Moorby | Jamie Dobie |
| 10 | Damian McKenzie | Finn Russell |
| 9 | Cam Roigard | Ben White |
| 8 | Wallace Sititi | Jack Dempsey |
| 7 | Peter Lakai | Rory Darge |
| 6 | Tupou Vaa’i | Matt Fagerson |
| 5 | Fabian Holland | Scott Cummings |
| 4 | Scott Barrett | Gregor Brown |
| 3 | Fletcher Newell | Zander Fagerson |
| 2 | Codie Taylor (c) | Ewan Ashman |
| 1 | Ethan de Groot | Rory Sutherland |
Earlier coverage: Dave Rennie Names 36-Man All Blacks Squad for UK Tour
The return of Huwipulotu! Here is your Scotland team taking on the All Blacks this weekend 🏴🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/VwHG1beXyr
— https://x.com/Scotlandteam/status/2118335054526947393
More on Scotland
All Blacks coach reveals how Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie have been 'really key to our attacks' https://t.co/fX9oZnKVET
— https://x.com/PlanetRugby/status/2117964277977927821