Is it time for Scotland to finally beat New Zealand?

Against the USA, the Scots were relentless, did what needed to be done and did it well. It was a huge blow for the few players who will be in action next Saturday and a great experience for those who won’t be, like Liam McConnell, the six-year-old diamond in the rough, who excelled on his debut. He’s only 21 years old, and it will be fun to watch McConnell mature. His raw talent is amazing.

For the All Blacks, the biggest dogs will be on display once again. One hundred and twenty years ago, Scotland faced New Zealand for the first time, and of course have yet to beat them. That means 30 defeats and two draws. The last three losses in this sequence are perhaps the most painful of all.

In 2014, under Vern Cotter, Scotland were just one point behind with seven minutes to go, but lost 31-23.

After three years it was hard to bear. The plague had descended on the loose supports of Scotland that autumn. Alasdair Dickinson, Alan Dale and Rory Sutherland were all injured. The unknown Darryl Marfo came.

Gregor Townsend’s team suffered a large number of injuries during the match. Stuart McInally, the hooker, had a spell on the open side. Then, George Turner, the replacement hooker, had a spell at the open side as well.

The look on Townsend’s face after the game is still vivid. Disguised frustration and anger. Scotland trailed 22-10 with eight minutes remaining. The All Blacks were down to 14 men. Kieran Read then almost certainly stopped an effort with a feint that eluded referee Matthew Carley.

Scotland should have tried and Reid should have been out. It should have been a five-point game against 13 players in the remaining minutes of the contest. New Zealand escaped.

We don’t go through suffering just for the sake of laughing. These near misses are there to remind everyone how difficult it is to beat the All Blacks. The latest defeat is arguably the most telling of the lot.

It was the night Doddie Weir took out the game ball with his three sons, a moment as poignant now, three years later, as it was then.

Scotland trailed by 14 points early in that match and then led by nine points. They scored 23 unanswered points in 52 minutes against the All Blacks. Unprecedented. Then they lost their composure, awarded penalties, received a yellow card and lost the test.

It was painful and typical. The All Blacks were outplayed for long periods but when the chips were down they remained calm and turned the screw millimeter by millimeter.

That’s what they did to Ireland on Saturday night. She won the decisive last 20 minutes. Their bench had a huge impact, both creatively and physically.