Scotland supporters had become used to watching their team produce brave but ultimately unsuccessful displays against New Zealand. Saturday at Murrayfield offered no such consolation.
There was no agonising sense of a result slipping away, no feeling that Scotland had squandered a chance and very little in the performance to celebrate.
Although Scotland were only three points behind at half-time, the match never felt genuinely competitive. They appeared to be surviving rather than posing a serious threat to the All Blacks.
After the interval, the contest became a rout. Scotland failed to add to their score, while New Zealand accelerated away and left Gregor Townsend’s team trailing in their wake.
By the final ten minutes, large sections of Murrayfield had already begun to empty. The All Blacks had crossed for seven tries and built a commanding 43-point total.
The fact that New Zealand did not add to that tally during the closing stages felt less like Scotland had regained control and more like the visitors had simply chosen not to pursue further punishment.
Scotland replacement Blair Kinghorn sums up his side’s performance at full-time
The All Blacks were faster, sharper, more inventive and stronger. In virtually every important area, they operated at a level Scotland could not match.
There is no disgrace in being beaten by a New Zealand side performing with that degree of authority. Other leading nations are likely to experience similar treatment.
Dave Rennie has breathed new life into the All Blacks and reignited a team that now looks capable of mounting a serious challenge for next year’s World Cup.
What will trouble Scotland, however, is how often they made New Zealand’s task so straightforward. Their defence was far too accommodating, repeatedly allowing the All Blacks into the 22 with minimal resistance.
Scotland also lacked precision when opportunities arose and conceded penalties at damaging moments. Against a side of New Zealand’s quality, that combination left them with no realistic path to victory.
The result was effectively settled within the first ten minutes of the second half. New Zealand scored twice during that spell, with the second try finished by the evergreen and relentlessly energetic Beauden Barrett.
At 35, Barrett is no longer the young sensation who first captured the rugby world’s attention. He is now an experienced leader of the All Blacks, and his latest score was the 50th of his Test career in 148 appearances.
Ewan Ashman’s drive is brought to a halt by the combined efforts of Vaa’i and Roigard
Barrett was outstanding, while his brother Jordie was equally influential. Quinn Tupaea brought authority to midfield and Cam Roigard dictated the rhythm of the match superbly from scrum-half.
Damian McKenzie was a clear winner over Finn Russell in the battle of the fly-halves, and Will Jordan was arguably the most effective winger on the pitch.
New Zealand supplied most of the game’s standout performers. For Scotland, Huw Jones, Rory Darge, Ewan Ashman and Gregor Brown were probably the only players to emerge with much credit.
Jones produced two promising breaks before half-time, while Ashman completed a hat-trick. Yet the fact that Scotland’s entire try tally came from their hooker underlined how little their wider attack was functioning.
Russell was unusually subdued, and Sione Tuipulotu also struggled to make his usual impact. Kyle Steyn will look back with regret on the dropped pass near the touchline that could have sent him over for a try.
Zander Fagerson and Pierre Schoeman were overwhelmed at scrum time. Jamie Dobie offers plenty of versatility, but his suitability as a Test winger against the very best sides remains open to debate.
Jack Dempsey was particularly disappointing. Usually a forceful and destructive presence in Scotland’s back row, he looked short of sharpness after a lack of regular rugby since his move to Japan.
Ashman became only the fifth player ever to record a Test hat-trick against New Zealand
The weaknesses exposed at Murrayfield were hardly unfamiliar. Townsend’s Scotland have produced versions of this performance many times before.
The head coach will rightly face scrutiny, but responsibility also rests with the players. Too many of Scotland’s leading performers failed to deliver when the challenge demanded it.
More worrying still is the pattern that has developed over the past year. Scotland have become a team with a deeply troubling defensive record.
Lee Radford has now spent 12 months as defence coach, having joined ahead of last year’s autumn internationals. So far, the statistics suggest his influence has been limited.
Since Scotland’s collapse against Argentina last year, they have conceded tries and points at an alarming rate.
Over the past 12 months, they have allowed an average of four tries per match and conceded roughly 33 points each game.
Those figures are incompatible with sustained success in elite Test rugby. Even Scotland’s outstanding victory over France, arguably the best performance of the Townsend era, came despite conceding 40 points.
Gregor Townsend has been in charge of Scotland for nine years without coming close to glory
They conceded 43 points against Ireland in Dublin, 38 against Argentina during the summer, 42 against South Africa and another 43 against New Zealand on Saturday.
A team cannot realistically expect to win when it needs five or six tries and close to 40 points simply to remain in contention.
The leading Test nations build their success on defensive resilience and the ability to win tight, demanding matches. Scotland, by contrast, are giving away tries and points far too freely.
With the existing coaching team expected to remain in place through the World Cup, it is difficult to identify where a dramatic improvement will come from.
Under Townsend, Scotland appear to have reached their limit: capable of producing thrilling rugby at their best, yet undermined by fundamental flaws that continue to prevent them from progressing.
Townsend made little effort to hide his frustration on Saturday. His players delivered a disjointed, error-filled performance that fell well below the required standard.
Wallace Sititi powers through for the opening All Blacks try to set the tone for the afternoon
With Australia next due at Murrayfield, the coach would be justified in making several changes. The more difficult question is whether altering the personnel would solve the deeper problems.
Scotland have beaten Australia several times during Townsend’s tenure, just as they have shown they can defeat France.
But the central questions surrounding this team remain unresolved, and its recurring weaknesses have yet to be addressed. It is increasingly difficult to see Townsend producing the answers.
He has been in charge for nine years. If Scotland have still not corrected their inconsistency or learned how to grind out victories, why should anyone assume those shortcomings will disappear during the next 12 months, with the World Cup approaching?
