Cummings Says Scotland Believe They Can Finally End 121 Years of All Blacks Hurt

Scotland have never beaten New Zealand in 33 attempts stretching back 121 years, but lock Scott Cummings believes this weekend feels different. The Scots host the All Blacks at Murrayfield on Saturday in the Nations Championship, and Cummings says the memory of last year's near miss gives the squad genuine belief. Twelve months ago Scotland roared back from 17-0 down to level the match at 17-17 heading into the final quarter, looking the likelier winners before New Zealand weathered the storm and sealed a 25-17 victory with a late Damian McKenzie try. Cummings, who is set to win his 53rd cap this weekend, said that match will give Scotland loads of belief — but only if they refuse to let the visitors seize the scoreboard the way they did a year ago. The build-up also feels different because the sides are meeting again so soon, rather than after a gap of three or four years. New Zealand arrive buoyed by back-to-back wins over Australia last month, and Cummings knows the All Blacks from his time under head coach Dave Rennie at Glasgow between 2017 and 2020. Scotland sit second in the Northern Hemisphere standings on 11 points, one behind France, after beating Argentina and Fiji and losing to South Africa in July. With Australia and Japan still to visit Murrayfield this month, a first win over New Zealand would put their push for the Finals Weekend at Twickenham firmly in their own hands.