Stuart Hogg: New Zealand display proves Scotland can compete with world's best

Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg says the side proved they can compete with the world's best, despite a heartbreaking loss to New Zealand.

Gregor Townsend's team fell just short in their bid to become the first Scotland side to beat the All Blacks.

But Hogg says the performance level in Saturday's 22-17 defeat at Murrayfield has only added to his confidence.

"I truly believe we are in a position where we can achieve something special," he said.

"For us that is the long target, but we take each game as it comes and now we concentrate on Australia, and when the Six Nations come round we will look at that.

"The challenge now is to back that performance up and get the right result next week.

"It will be a huge challenge for us - but that is why you play rugby, isn't it? We just came up short against the best team in the world for however many years and next week we play the Aussies, who are just as good."

• Scots fall short against All Blacks - highlights & report

• Scots let win get away - John Barclay

Tries from Codie Taylor, Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett gave the All Blacks a firm grip on the game, but Scotland refused to buckle and tries from Jonny Gray and Huw Jones kept them within five points going into the final few minutes.

Hogg looked for a moment like he might level the scores in the final play with a try that would have given the Scots a conversion for the win. As he raced for the corner, however, Barrett made a brilliant cover tackle and with that the chance, and the match, was gone.

"There was never a point when I thought the game was dead and buried," Hogg added. "I thought it was going right to the very end. It's just gutting to be sitting here with a defeat.

"Credit to Beauden Barrett, it was a cracking tackle. I was pretty gutted to chuck the ball away as well, but on another day that comes off."

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen was impressed with Hogg's man-of-the-match display, and was thankful for Barrett's match-saving intervention.

"Hopefully someone is going to tackle him," Hansen joked when asked what was running through his mind as Hogg was bearing down on the New Zealand try-line at the end.

"It took a special player to stop a special player. I thought Hogg was pretty good.

"It was a great game of football. Scotland really stood up and were counted and in turn so did we.

"We expected what we got. Scotland have been slowly improving over the past 12 to 18 months and it was a pretty impressive performance.

"They're a team on the rise and world rugby has got some good teams, which I reckon is really exciting. Scotland were well in the hunt tonight and could easily have won the game."

What they said about Hogg

All Blacks skipper Kieran Read was hugely impressed by Hogg

New Zealand fly-half Beauden Barrett: "We were aware of their attacking threats, particularly out wide in Hogg. He's obviously a great attacking player. There was one point I thought I gave him too much [space] on the outside and I was worried, but I was relieved to see the outcome as it was."

All Blacks captain Kieran Read: "We know that Stuart Hogg is a dangerous player, it's just a good thing for us that we have Beauden Barrett. That moment epitomised the Test match."

Former Ireland and Lions lock Paul O'Connell on BBC TV: "Every time he touched the ball he looked like he was going to create something. Every time he touched the ball he made the right decision, whether it was covering the back-field or catching those clever kicks from Beauden Barrett, or carrying and getting outside people, and fending them off. What a fantastic player."