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"Victory could have been ours. We know victory was there."

Manager Gregor Townsend voiced pride in the Scottish display against New Zealand but felt deflated by a seventeen to twenty-five loss at their home ground.

The hosts trailed 17-0 at the half, only to storm back and tie the score on the hour.

Nonetheless, the New Zealand team, who had multiple members sent to the sin bin, struck late through Damian McKenzie to deny Scotland the chance of a historic win in this fixture.

"I feel let down primarily, because the effort that went into that latter period showing was pure determination," Townsend remarked.

"It was crucial to push forward when it got to 17-17 and there were a couple of key instances that went New Zealand's way.

"Outstanding second half, we showed who we are today and we likely showed our identity by failing to secure the win as well.

"Progress is evident in this team and we have to win those big moments when the match is there for us.

"Elements of that game indicate we are competitive with the best teams in the world. We just need to make that following advance."

Key Moments of the Match

• Scores from Ewan Ashman and Kyle Steyn brought Scotland back into an gripping contest.
• Darcy Graham and Rory Hutchinson had been held up over the line in the opening period when Cameron Roigard and Will Jordan notched points for the opponents.

"Opponents get tired when you knock on the door," said Townsend, who has now lost three home Tests against the All Blacks as head coach - all by single digit margins.

"I would like to be playing New Zealand again next week. We play Argentina and we need to put in what we have gained.

"This is the first time this squad has played together since the Six Nations. To get that cohesion straight away is challenging and to see it grow during the game is encouraging.

"However it's so disheartening with that effort that we failed to achieve a win.

"It's the closest we've been to victory, I believe. We dominated the second half, field position, intensity, skill. We've not achieved that against New Zealand in our history and we are improved for the experience.

"Our journey doesn't stop today. We have a crucial game coming up and more important games to come in the Six Nations."

Skipper's Reaction

Scottish captain Sione Tuipulotu labeled the loss as "bittersweet" and emphasized the significance of a victory against Argentina, having started the autumn series with a record score against the United States.

"I told the boys we needed a reaction at the break," he said. "We could surrender or decide to fight back.

"We had no downside and everything to gain.

"We have to recover for the upcoming match because Argentina aren't going to make it simpler."