Five Scottish players to watch on Saturday

After 30 winless games stretching back to 1905, Scotland find themselves once again hoping to defeat the world champion All Blacks as they welcome them to Edinburgh on Saturday evening.

Most fans wouldn’t display any glimpse of hope in this situation, but not the Murrayfield faithful.

Despite all the stats, the slightly inexperienced starting line-up and the confidence the All Blacks carry with them, players and fans will all hold a renewed sense of belief that this time it can happen.

In recent times Scotland have opened up their style of play, exhibiting an exciting brand of rugby. In that time they have been able to see off Ireland and Wales in this year’s Six Nations as well as a win over Australia in Sydney in June leaving many fans in little doubt a victory is a possible.

Scotland faced Samoa last Saturday with their new fast paced game-plan on display; they could not stop scoring tries. However nor could they stop letting them in at the other end, the aftermath of their 44-32 victory over the tier two side having a slightly sour edge to it.

If Gregor Townsend’s men are to have any chance of recording a famous win over Steve Hansen’s side this Saturday than they must up their defence standards quite a bit.

But not all games are won and lost on defence, so here are five key players I believe will need to be at their best to give Townsend’s side a fighting chance.

Stuart McInally

Named man of the match against Samoa, the Edinburgh hooker can have a rightful smile on his face. However, he mustn’t let that go to his head as Scotland will need the accuracy and strength he showed in the line-outs and mauls to overcome New Zealand’s set piece. His performance last Saturday was without a doubt his best in his 10 appearances so far and Townsend will be hoping he can turn that great display into a run of form.

Tommy Seymour

The Glasgow winger hardly saw the ball against Samoa, with his only notable contribution being a grubber-kick to set up Stuart Hogg’s opening try. Scotland will need to use Seymour’s pace and skill under the high ball to add creativity to their attack and break down the All Blacks’ defence. Despite not playing against the world champions on the British and Irish Lions tour, Seymour was the top try scorer touching down against the Highlanders and the Hurricanes. The experience of playing Kiwi sides will no doubt come in handy when he has the ball on Saturday, providing he manages to get himself into the game early on.

Stuart Hogg

Against New Zealand you need an angry, hungry and passionate patriot in your arsenal and Scotland have that in spades with Hogg when he turns up. Whenever he gets ball in hand, you can guarantee he will bring spark to the game. He is the second most experienced player in the starting line-up behind skipper John Barclay and at just 25 has scored 17 tries for Scotland. If Hogg doesn’t produce a confident display, it could be a long day for the home side.

Huw Jones

Despite being born in Edinburgh, Jones has spent his whole career in South Africa after a gap year in the country ignited his love of the game. When he started for Scotland for the first time against Australia last autumn, hardly anyone knew who he was, but after scoring five tries in nine appearances, he’s regarded as a secret weapon in the side. He may not have any experience playing the All Blacks, but he knows the Southern Hemisphere way and has a fearlessness about him when he puts on the Scotland jersey. Townsend will be looking to him to provide a spark with his centre partner Alex Dunbar.

Finn Russell

Scotland will need tries but they will also need every kick they can get, so the fiery fly-half will need to bring pinpoint accuracy to his kicking game which could be the difference between winning and losing. His spontaneity in attack can be beautiful and a catastrophe, but Scotland will be hoping he can add a bit of magic on Saturday which I’m sure fans will admit would not go amiss against a side proving to be their Everest.