Jack Dempsey says Scotland can be the best and worst team in the world

Jack Dempsey, a former Glasgow Warriors number eight who now plays for Japan's Toshiba Brave Lupus, said Scotland face a chance to test the All Blacks at Murrayfield on Saturday, the 34th encounter between the sides. The Scottish side have suffered three consecutive near‑misses under coach Gregor Townsend, each time falling short of beating the Kiwis for the first time.

"It's probably two things," Dempsey told reporters. "Number one is momentum. There's momentum within games. We can be the best team in the world for 20 minutes and we can be the worst team in the world for 20 minutes." He added that the second factor is "messaging", noting Sione Tuipulotu's call for the squad to stay stronger together. "From a defensive point of view, can we make the team against us earn every single phase? Can we make it harder for them on every single phase? And then on attack, every time we hold the ball, we make it harder for the opposition. If we just keep stacking those moments the habits will change. And then the results should follow," he concluded.