Six Nations 2019: 'Scotland have become a team who know how to lose'
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Wales beat Scotland 18-11 to edge closer to the Grand Slam title
The vibe at the end can only be described as weird. The Scottish players were joined by their partners and their children on the perimeter at Murrayfield. There were smiles and laughs and photographs aplenty.
Had an alien dropped from the sky and surveyed the scene he could only have concluded that the lads in blue had won - and had won well. No doubt the players were hurting inside, but the aesthetic was not good. There was a time and a place to reunite with loved ones, but out in the open air minutes after another loss was not it.
The peculiarity continued. In the news conference, Gregor Townsend's opening comments were: "I'm very proud of the players..."
He said he was "really proud" that his boys "put on that performance in front of supporters who were energised by the way we were playing..."
He added that "pride would be my strongest emotion" but there was frustration, too. There was one more mention of how proud he felt before the chat concluded.
The words "moral victory" weren't mentioned but that was the natural conclusion. And it was hugely disappointing.
Townsend had to find the right tone before a ferociously daunting trip to Twickenham on Saturday but applauding his players for all the effort they put in sounded like a throwback to darker days.
It was like being transported back to a time when, as Scotland coach, Frank Hadden and then Andy Robinson used to come into the same room and try to talk up another defeat.
Nobody expected Townsend to walk in funereal-style while ringing a bell - but the cheeriness jarred.
Scotland's attack 'has gone to pot'
Darcy Graham scores for Scotland against Wales
Scotland are staring down the barrel of one win from five games and a fifth-place finish in the championship. The players, said Townsend, "showed what they're made of."
Some did, for sure. Hamish Watson was magnificent off the bench. Darcy Graham is now arguably first choice on the wing. Allan Dell got through a mountain of work. Adam Hastings adapted well at full-back. Positives amid the wreckage, certainly. But mostly wreckage.
There are many reasons for it - Stuart Hogg's absence, Huw Jones' loss of form and subsequent injury, the injuries that have befallen them mid-game, the obliteration of their first-choice back row, the confidence that has ebbed away in the meantime - but the bitter truth is that while all this has been going on Scotland's attack has gone to pot.
They scored 11 points against Wales after scoring 10 against France and 13 against Ireland. Italy, without a win in the Six Nations since Methuselah was a boy, have scored more tries in this championship than Scotland - a damning indictment and one that can't be papered over no matter how many layers you slap on about how proud you are.
Against Ireland, more than 70% of the opening 40 minutes were played in the their half and yet Scotland couldn't make hay. In Paris, Scotland had more more attacking minutes than France - and 10 minutes with a one-man advantage - and yet got beaten out the gate. Saturday was the continuation of a theme.
Scotland largely owned the second half. Dell's big bust of the Welsh defence took them into the opposition 22, whereupon they banged away for eight phases before losing the ball. Soon after, they spent more than four minutes knocking on Wales' door. They came away with nothing.
Just after the hour-mark, with the score at 15-11 to the visitors, Scotland were pretty much camped in Welsh territory for more than six minutes thanks to the momentum provided by the jewel that was the returning Watson. They went through 15 phases and got repelled. They came again and went through another 18 phases. By the time they got turned over they were 20 metres behind where they started.
That's a tribute to Welsh organisation and Welsh grunt. Grand Slam teams don't have to be pretty, but they have to be demonic in defence of their own line. Wales lack nothing when it comes to intensity, hard work and breakdown cynicism when cynicism is required. Townsend had a point when he said that their penalty count warranted a yellow card at some stage - but they got away with it just as every team gets away with it from time to time.
Scotland didn't lose because there was no yellow card for repeat offenders on the floor. They lost because, despite all the ball in the world, they didn't have the power, the wit, the accuracy, the patience to score when they needed to score.
The bottom line right now: Wales are a team who know how to win and Scotland are a team who know how to lose.
Will 'dismal' Six Nations end in humiliation?
Dishing out praise for effort is something we thought that Scotland had left behind a long time ago. In the rarefied world of international rugby, effort is a given. Lauding players for trying hard for their country is like congratulating a team for putting their boots on the right feet. There's no reason to bring it up unless you're struggling desperately for positive things to say.
Townsend, in fairness to him, steadfastly refuses to bemoan the loss of go-to men but he must be saying nightly prayers to the rugby gods for the safe return of, among others, Hogg, Duncan Taylor, John Barclay and Ryan Wilson for the World Cup in Japan. Getting Jones, Mark Bennett, Matt Scott, Sam Skinner, Richie Gray and Blade Thomson on the scene would also liven things up.
Scotland need to get out of Dodge on Saturday with some credibility intact. With Eddie Jones already cranking it up, there's a real fear now that England could put up a big score against a team that's forgotten how to win. This has been a dismal Six Nations for Scotland. A heavy beating at Twickenham would put the tin hat on it.
Frankly, the sooner this injury-ravaged, defeat-laden, mistake-ridden, confidence-draining championship is over, the better.