All Blacks player ratings: Wing Mark Telea impresses on debut against Scotland

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All Blacks wing Mark Telea scored twice on debut against Scotland.

Analysis: It’s fair to say Mark Telea’s two tries on debut would have coincided with a loss had Scotland taken a couple more chances they created.

However, on a night Telea dived over with five minutes to play to give the All Blacks breathing room, the New Zealanders nabbed a 31-23 win in Edinburgh on Monday morning (NZT).

Telea was excellent on debut, scoring half the All Blacks’ four tries at Murrayfield, where flankers Dalton Papali’i and Ardie Savea also turned in good performances.

However, others weren’t so flash. Here’s how the All Blacks rated in their penultimate test of the year.

Jordie Barrett: Slotted four from four off the tee, including a tricky conversion out wide to put the game out of reach. Also uncorked the cross-field kick for Telea’s first half try. Wasn’t all good, though. Coughed a ball up, which led to points, and missed three tackles. Could well be back in the No 12 jersey next week. 7

Mark Telea: Scored two tries during a fine debut, including the all-important strike in the waning minutes to give the All Blacks a buffer. Telea, who showed off his fend and step with his first touch of the night, made a team-high 76 metres on 10 carries, beating five defenders and making three clean breaks. 8.5

Anton Lienert-Brown: Was yellow carded after conceding a penalty try in the 11th minute, when he took out Stuart Hogg in-goal. Gave away another penalty (offside), but did bounce back and finish well. Notched 47 metres on nine carries. 6

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All Blacks wing Caleb Clarke on the charge against Scotland.

David Havili: Threw a costly intercept pass attempting to put Beauden Barrett away down the flank, one which Darcy Graham took to the house. Mustered 28 metres on four carries before he was replaced in the 54th minute. Will struggle to keep Jordie Barrett out of the No 12 jersey next week. 5

Caleb Clarke: A tough man to bring down, the left wing Chalked up 62 metres on six carries and beat a couple of defenders on a night the All Blacks got him more pill than last time out. 7.5

Beauden Barrett: A mixed bag, starting with a nice grubber for Lienert-Brown in the lead-up to the All Blacks’ second try. However, there were a couple of decisions to kick he’d like back. The same goes for the cross-field kick he over-cooked to the wide-open Clarke. Was also fortunate Scotland botched a missed touch finder. 6.5

Finlay Christie: Was starved of quality ball to operate with after a slick first 10 minutes. Made a costly knock-on at the base of a ruck late in the first half as the All Blacks were threatening. The Scotland-born halfback was replaced after 56 minutes. 7

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All Blacks flanker Dalton Papali’i carries against Scotland in Edinburgh on Monday morning.

Ardie Savea: Go back and watch Savea, sitting in waiting behind a couple of All Blacks tacklers like an assassin, before pouncing and earning a hugely important penalty on his own line late in the first half. He’s invaluable to this team. 8

Dalton Papali’i: Made a team-high 14 tackles, and earned a big penalty to defuse a furious Scottish raid early doors. Was awarded the official man-of-the-match award. 8

Akira Ioane: One of a few All Blacks to earn big breakdown penalties against a Scottish side which caused the visitors a ton of problems with their running game. Also proved a safe lineout option. Replaced in the 59th minute. 7

Scott Barrett: With Sam Whitelock throwing his weight behind him, it was Barrett who crashed over from close-range with 15 minutes to play as the All Blacks rallied. Made 10 tackles in a physical and sapping performance. 7

Sam Whitelock: Was guilty of contributing to the All Blacks’ penalty count (13), including when the eagle-eyed TMO alerted the on-field referee to a Whitelock neck-roll. However, the skipper, typically, got through a mountain of work on a night his team flirted with more unwanted history. 7

Nepo Laulala: Carried powerfully during his 51 minutes on the park, and made seven tackles. He and his fellow starting front-rowers just didn’t have a lot of joy on a night the scrums weren’t easy on the eye. 6.5

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All Blacks lock Scott Barrett scores against Scotland in Edinburgh on Monday morning.

Samisoni Taukei’aho: Excellent 57 minutes from the metre-making machine, who made a mockery of three defenders to open the scoring and crash over for his 10th try of the year. Hit with nine of 10 lineout darts, and made 10 tackles. 8

Ethan de Groot: Has had better nights, but wasn’t helped by the scrums being a mess for much of the night. 5.5

Reserves

Codie Taylor: Part of a bench which provided ample impact. Taylor carried strongly, expertly defused a maul and connected on all four lineout throws during his 23 minutes. 7.5

George Bower: Pinged for an early shove moments after coming on, but came back strongly and was credited with a crunch scrum penalty later as the All Blacks finished over the top of the hosts. 7

Fletcher Newell: On in the 51st minute, Newell looks at ease in the black jersey. You have to think chances in the No 3 jersey await. 7

Tupou Vaa’i: N/R

Shannon Frizell: Carried five times for 19 metres during a busy 20 minutes on the park. Now, to see if he will get the nod at No 6 against England next week. 6.5

TJ Perenara: Excellent impact off the bench in his return to the All Blacks, who needed a cool head when he entered the match in the 56th minute. His emotions were on full show when he got over the ball and earned a penalty in the final minute. 7.5

Stephen Perofeta: N/R

Rieko Ioane: On for David Havili in the 54th minute, it was Ioane who dished the offload for Telea’s late match-sealing try. 7.5