Other writers were hardly flowing in their praise for the All Blacks.
The Telegraph believed Scotland had squandered a place in history as it tried to break a 117-year hoodoo.
“Where Scotland perhaps lost the game was in not taking all the chances presented to them. This will be hard to take for Scotland,” it wrote.
“They had been unable to take advantage of some sloppy play from New Zealand.
“When the All Blacks tightened up and refocused, there wasn’t enough in the tank to preserve their points cushion.
“Death, taxes, losing to the All Blacks. Heartbreak for Scotland.”
The Guardian believed Scotland dominated most of the game but had wasted the opportunity for victory, lacking the killer blow.
“These days the notion of a Scotland victory over the All Blacks is not so outlandish,” Michael Aylwin wrote.
“They did everything but take their chances; they did everything but hold their nerve as history tempted them.”
The Times headline reckoned Mark Telea’s two tries “saves New Zealand and breaks Scottish hearts.”
“The All Blacks were relieved men as they walked off the pitch, knowing they had been pushed all the way,” it wrote.
All the reports highlighted a rare appearance at Murrayfield by Doddie Weir, a longtime Scotland forward who is battling motor-neurone disease. Weir’s presence gave Scotland a strong motivational factor.
Meanwhile former England Back Mike Brown predicted England would beat New Zealand at Twickenham this Sunday.
“It’s not a vintage All Blacks,” he wrote in a Daily Mail column, analysing England’s lopsided victory over Japan.
‘Anything but convincing’
Liam Napier, NZ Herald
“For much of this match, Scotland had every right to believe they could defy 115 years of history to record their first win against the All Blacks — and follow Argentina and Ireland’s record-breaking feats this year.
“As with each of their 32 battles, though, the All Blacks eventually found a way to quell their nerves and quell the brave Scottish challenge.
“From an All Blacks perspective, this performance was anything but convincing.”
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‘Just about getting the win’
Gregor Paul, NZ Herald
“Sometimes there’s no point dwelling on the fine detail, worrying about the All Blacks lack of attacking shape, the way Scotland shortened them up all too easily and New Zealand’s inability to get and keep the ball.
“Rugby, especially when the All Blacks come North and encounter a passionate home side playing at a higher-than-normal intensity, is just about getting the win.
“It’s not easy to make it pretty, or to play with the sort of polish everyone wants and the best way to define a performance is simply by the result.
“What mattered in Edinburgh is that the All Blacks found a way to claw their back from being 23-14 down midway through the second half, to slowly and steadily subdue a Scotland side that was starting to sniff history.”
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Foster ‘It’s a test win we’re very proud of’
“We’re delighted to come to Murrayfield. It’s always a game we’ve found difficult, particularly this year against a Scottish team that is on the rise. They’ve won some big tests the last few years so it was one we were a bit nervous about,” All Blacks coach Ian Foster.
“At 23-14 I wasn’t overly excited. They were accumulating those points through pressure and forcing us into a lack of discipline which was disappointing. You’ve got to give them credit for that.
“You train for scenarios like this. It’s a test win we’re very proud of.
“If you go back 12 months to the last two tests of the year to where we tripped up in the north both those tests we were in contention at the start of the last quarter but perhaps didn’t show the composure that we showed today.
“That shows some good signs of growth. And that’s with a few guys who were getting opportunities, particularly the likes of Mark Telea playing his first test in that sort of environment with that pressure he’ll be really proud of what he did.
“We made a few changes earlier because we felt we needed to change the pictures. We felt Scotland had a roll on and we had to try a couple of different things. The likes of Rieko was a lot more direct and forceful with his carries in the midfield. Codie was outstanding. And TJ for his first test of the year and being out of the squad that was as good as he’s played for us in a long time. We’re delighted with that.”
