Scotland the brave won’t do for Seymour

AUTUMN INTERNATIONAL:

Scotland put on a brave display as they held New Zealand at bay for large chunks of Saturday’s autumn Test at Murrayfield before losing 24-16. They even had a chance to put themselves on the brink of victory but saw skipper Greig Laidlaw pull his penalty wide before the All Blacks stormed downfield to score the try to put the game out of sight.

The defeat means Scotland’s 109-year search for their first-ever win against the world champions goes on. But there were clear signs of progress in Vern Cotter’s young side as they came within 10 points of the southern hemisphere giants for the first time in 23 years.

However, Seymour — who scored his second intercept try in as many weeks to put the hosts 7-5 up after 12 minutes — insists if Scotland are just happy to come close, they will never find that elusive win.

The Glasgow wing — who also scored in the 41-31 win over Argentina last week — said: “We have to be pleased with the consistency levels shown over the last two weeks and we have to be pleased with the performance against New Zealand. But we have got to stop being a side that allows itself to take positives when you lose to the best team in the world, because if you do that, you start drawing lines you can’t cross.

“If you come up against a side and your only aim is to come up close, then it will never be good enough.”

The Scots were 16-17 down with 13 minutes left when Laidlaw was handed his chance to kick his country within touching distance of a famous win. But the All Blacks seized on his lapse after sending the ball wide of the right-hand post and stormed into Scottish territory before Jeremy Thrush found a chink in the home defence and squeezed through for the match-winning try.

“It was an opportunity to make history and that doesn’t come along very often,” said Seymour, who cancelled out Victor Vito’s opening score for the tourists. “Unfortunately we came up just shy.”

Scorers for Scotland: Tries: Seymour. Cons: Laidlaw. Pens: Laidlaw 3.

Scorers for New Zealand: Tries: Vito, Thrush. Cons: Slade. Pens: Carter 3, Slade.

SCOTLAND: Hogg, Maitland, Bennett, Dunbar, Seymour, Russell, Laidlaw, Dickinson, Ford, Murray, R. Gray, J. Gray, Harley, Cowan, Ashe.

Replacements: Weir for Russell (61), Cusiter for Laidlaw (76), F. Brown for Ford (76), Beattie for Ashe (58).

New Zealand: B. Smith, Slade, Fekitoa, Crotty, Piutau, Carter, Perenara, Moody, Parsons, Faumuina, Thrush, Bird, McCaw, Cane, Vito.

Replacements: Crockett for Moody (52), Coles for Parsons (47), Romano for Bird (52).

Referee: Romain Poite.