Scotland to face All Blacks away in World Cup warm‑up

Scotland will travel to New Zealand to meet the All Blacks for the first time since 1999, a key part of their build‑up to next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia. Gregor Townsend’s side will play the test in Dunedin as their final preparation before heading to Australia for their Pool D opening match against Uruguay on Sunday, 3 October.

The last time Scotland played an away game against New Zealand ended in a 48‑14 loss at Eden Park in July 2000. A planned test in the country for the summer of 2020 was called off because of the Covid‑19 pandemic.

The two teams are also scheduled to meet at Murrayfield next month during the Nations Championship. Continuing the pattern from the 2019 and 2023 tournaments, Scotland will arrange home and away warm‑up matches against France, opting for three internationals before the World Cup rather than the four they have previously used.