Scotland trail in All Blacks’ wake once more despite Ewan Ashman hat-trick

• Scotland 21-43 New Zealand

• Ashman scores hat-trick before Scotland fall to defeat

Scotland never got going; Murrayfield never got going; New Zealand did. Scotland have had some agonising defeats here in recent years, as they chase that first win against the All Blacks. This was not one of them. This was dispiritingly routine.

Despite a hat-trick of tries for Ewan Ashman, the irrepressible hooker, in the first half, Scotland could not register a point at all in the second. New Zealand cantered away to a tally of seven tries, two for Beauden Barrett who beetled through Scotland’s outside defences with ease, scoring 19 unanswered points in the second half.