Scotland’s great entertainers scintillating and sloppy in South Africa

Against the Boks, Scotland had more territory, more carries, more metres gained. They had 17 clean breaks to South Africa’s four, beat 47 defenders where South Africa beat only 19. The Boks missed 47 tackles and still won off 38% territory.

We don’t get to see inside the soul of rugby players on days like that, which is probably just as well. The pain of contributing so much and yet feeling so lousy at the end of it must be acute.

Scotland have never beaten South Africa in South Africa. Before Saturday, it was a dozen years since they last had a chance.

The new Nations Championship means that they won’t have to wait nearly as long for another opportunity, but for some in the Scotland team it might still be too long. For those guys, this was the moment, and it passed.

The Boks, it has to be said, were in full experimental mode. This was their second string, which made Scotland’s loss all the more angsty. When will they have a weakened South Africa on the ropes again?

There was no Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx or Thomas du Toit in the front-row, no Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager or Franco Mostert in the second-row, no Siya Kolisi or Jasper Wiese in the back-row. Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse were not involved. Neither were Canan Moodie, Damian de Allende, Mannie Libbok, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Andre Esterhuizen and Cobus Reinach. That’s over 950 Test caps missing.

There is, of course, no such thing as a poor Springbok team. They could field three or four world class outfits, all with the power to beat most other nations.

Rassie Erasmus is building depth for the next World Cup and this was another milestone in that process. Scotland threw everything at his understudies and they battled on to win. On current form, France are their only real danger in Australia next year.

It’s not cool to lavish praise on a losing team, but it’s hard to avoid it in this case. Praise and a bit of pity and some frustration, too.

As good as they are individually and collectively – Sione Tuipulotu is one of the best players and leaders in the global game – they still don’t have that precious commodity of finding a way to win consistently.

That mission continues, by parts engrossing and maddening. They’ve got Fiji on next at Murrayfield and even when Gregor Townsend makes the changes he has signalled they should win it comfortably.

Two victories and a four-try bonus point defeat would represent a strong first instalment of the Nations Championship. It would leave everybody wanting more, hoping against hope, as ever, that the great Scotland breakthrough is still possible.