Phil Godman, a dozen stitches in a wound around his left eye inflicted by the knee of Jean de Villiers and the elbow of Pierre Spies, staggered from the pitch, his face streaming with crimson. Half the Scotland team ended this agonising afternoon as walking wounded.
"We'll never have a better chance of beating the world champions," was the head coach's lament, and Frank Hadden knows such a painful defeat could have serious implications when his job comes under review after next weekend's meeting with Canada in Aberdeen. Scotland, ninth in the world rankings, will find themselves in a World Cup group with two leading sides in New Zealand in 2011.
This was the best performance by any of the home nations on a bleak weekend for northern-hemisphere rugby. And yet. If Godman, the fly-half, had landed two second-half penalties, one difficult and one a sitter that will haunt him, a nation could have celebrated a momentous victory.
The difference between this performance and the insipid display against New Zealand's second-string a week earlier was as wide as the Firth of Forth. But Scotland, whose first-choice kicker, Chris Paterson, fractured his cheekbone after 10 minutes, saw Godman leave the field at the same time. His blood replacement, Dan Parks, also missed two penalties, one simple, one less so. Scotland went in 10 points up - it should have been more.
As Godman lined up to convert Nathan Hines' try two minutes before the break the blood began to run again. He landed the kick but there were more unkind cuts. Scotland began to concede penalties and Ruan Pienaar hauled the Springboks back into the game. Then, Jaque Fourie broke Hugo Southwell's tackle and the video referee ruled that the wing's foot had not strayed into touch. It was Fourie's 23rd try for South Africa.
A frantic siege in the final minutes failed to prevent a seventh successive defeat at the hands of the Springboks, who last lost here six years ago. There are, though, consolations for Scotland and perhaps the Lions as they contemplate next summer's trip to the republic. Mike Blair, their captain and scrum-half, was outstanding again, his sniping blindside run giving Godman a chance to breach the South African defence in a move that set up the surge by the home pack that led to the first try for Scotland at home all year. Blair may have made the ultimately fateful decision to run the ball in the dying seconds rather than allow his pack to attempt to drive over the line but he did little else wrong.
In the pack the tighthead Euan Murray won his battle against Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira and alongside him the Edinburgh hooker Ross Ford did his Lions chances no harm. But Murray summed up the frustrating afternoon.
"The set piece gives you a platform but it doesn't win you the game ... possibly it all comes down to self-belief. South Africa have the experience in coping with pressure that wins you the tight games."
England have been warned.
Man of the match Mike Blair
Scotland's captain hardly put a foot wrong with another energetic and inspiring display
Best moment The scrum-half spotted a gap and outflanked the Springbok defence with a sniping run that helped set up a try that electrified Murrayfield
Scotland Paterson (Edinburgh; Southwell, Edinburgh, 10); Evans (Glasgow; Lawson, Gloucester, 73), Cairns, De Luca
(both Edinburgh), R Lamont (Sale); Godman (Edinburgh; Parks, Glasgow, 11-21 & 39-41) Blair (capt); Jacobsen (both Edinburgh; Dickinson, Gloucester, 64), Ford (Edinburgh; Hall, Glasgow, 75), Murray (Northampton), Hines (Perpignan; Mustchin, Edinburgh, 74), Hamilton (Edinburgh), White (Sale; Gray, Northampton, 58), Barclay (Glasgow), Hogg (Edinburgh).
Try Hines. Con Godman. Pen Godman
South Africa Jantjes (Western Province); Pietersen, Jacobs (both Sharks), De Villiers (Western Province; Steyn, Sharks, 65), Habana (Blue Bulls; Fourie, Lions, 64); Pienaar (Sharks), Januarie (Western Province); Mtawarira (Sharks; Steenkamp, Blue Bulls, 74), Du Plessis (Sharks, Mujati, Western Province, 5), Smit (Sharks, capt), Botha (Blue Bulls; Bekker, Western Province, 60), Matfield (Blue Bulls), Burger (Western Province; Roussouw, Blue Bulls, 64), Smith (Free State), Spies (Blue Bulls; Kankowski, Sharks, 74).
Try Fourie. Pens Pienaar 3.
Referee D Pearson (England). Attendance 36,037.
