1981 Scotland rugby union tour of New Zealand

The 1981 Scotland rugby union tour of New Zealand was a series of eight matches played by the Scotland national rugby union team in New Zealand in May and June 1981. The Scotland team won five of their matches and lost the other three. They lost both international matches against the New Zealand national rugby union team (the All Blacks).

Touring party

• Manager: Ken Smith
• Assistant Manager: Jim Telfer
• Captain: Andy Irvine

Backs

• Andy Irvine
• Peter Dods
• Steve Munro
• Bruce Hay
• Roger Baird
• Richard Breakey
• Alastair Cranston
• Jim Renwick
• John Rutherford
• Ron Wilson
• Roy Laidlaw
• Gordon Hunter
• Alan Lawson (replacement during tour)

Forwards

• Derek White
• Iain Paxton
• Peter Lillington
• Jim Calder
• Gordon Dickson
• David Leslie
• Bill Cuthbertson
• Tom Smith
• Alan Tomes
• Jim Aitken
• Gerry McGuinness
• Iain Milne
• Norrie Rowan
• Colin Deans
• Kenneth Lawrie

Results

Scores and results list Scotland's points tally first.

Matches

First Test

<small>NEW ZEALAND: A. R. Hewson (Wellington), S. S. Wilson (Wellington), B. J. Robertson (Counties), A. C. R. Jefferd (East Coast), B. G. Fraser (Wellington), E. Dunn (North Auckland), D. S. Loveridge (Taranaki); M. G. Mexted (Wellington), G. N. K. Mourie (Taranaki) (c), G. Higginson (Canterbury), H. Rickit (Waikato), M. W. Shaw (Manawatu), G. A. Knight (Manawatu), A. G. Dalton (Counties), R. C. Ketels (Counties).</small>

<small>SCOTLAND: A. R. Irvine (Heriot's F. P.) (c), S. Munro (Ayr), A. G. Cranston (Hawick), J. M. Renwick (Hawick), B. H. Hay (Boroughmuir), J. Y. Rutherford (Selkirk), R. J. Laidlaw (Jedforest); I. A. M. Paxton (Selkirk), D. G. Leslie (Gala), W. Cuthbertson (Kilmarnock), A. J. Tomes (Hawick), J. M. Calder (Stewart's-Melville F. P.), I. G. Milne (Heriot's F. P.), C. T. Deans (Hawick), J. Aitken (Gala).</small>

This was the only one of the tour matches in which Scotland did not score a drop goal.

Second Test

<small>NEW ZEALAND: A. R. Hewson (Wellington), S. S. Wilson (Wellington), B. J. Robertson (Counties), A. C. R. Jefferd (East Coast), B. G. Fraser (Wellington), D. L. Rollerson (Manawatu), D. S. Loveridge (Taranaki); M. G. Mexted (Wellington), G. N. K. Mourie (Taranaki) (c), A. M. Haden (Auckland), H. Rickit (Waikato), M. W. Shaw (Manawatu), G. A. Knight (Manawatu), A. G. Dalton (Counties), R. C. Ketels (Counties).</small>

<small>SCOTLAND: A. R. Irvine (Heriot's F. P.) (c), S. Munro (Ayr), A. G. Cranston (Hawick), J. M. Renwick (Hawick), B. H. Hay (Boroughmuir), J. Y. Rutherford (Selkirk), R. J. Laidlaw (Jedforest); I. A. M. Paxton (Selkirk), D. G. Leslie (Gala), W. Cuthbertson (Kilmarnock), A. J. Tomes (Hawick), J. M. Calder (Stewart's-Melville F. P.), I. G. Milne (Heriot's F. P.), C. T. Deans (Hawick), J. Aitken (Gala).</small>

22-6 down after 13 minutes of the second half, Scotland closed the gap to 22-15 with seven minutes to go, only for New Zealand to score three converted tries to win the match comfortably. This was the highest score ever recorded by New Zealand in a full international.

References