Scotland looked to have broken through when Sione Tuipulotu and Jordan put Ben White through the Bok defence and all the way to the posts, but it was brought back for a knock-on earlier on. A tiny one, but it was enough.

Referee Christophe Ridley felt Murrayfields wrath again.

The stadium roared once more early in the new half but this time it was for another Russell penalty. Sevenpoint game now.

Rassie Erasmus brought on RG Snyman at the break and then the other horsemen of the Apocalypse followed within minutes. Enter Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi, Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch. Gerhard Steenekamp. The Bomb Squad had arrived.

Almost as soon as they did, a bit of a scrap broke out between Zander Fagerson and Etzebeth. It was intense and brutal and compelling.

Scotland took the fight to the Boks. They were relentless in their physicality, the game turning into a magnificent frenzy.

South Africa survived when Matt Fagerson spilled in the shadow of the posts and survived again when Huw Jones began another siege, the upshot within seconds being a yellow card for Mapimpi as he scrambled to stop the charge.

The Scots had a lineout five metres out, but lost it. Agony. They went again through Jordan and his cavalry.

The visitors were hanging on, but hang on they did. Incredibly. Heroically, in a rugby sense.

Scotland had thrown the kitchen sink, the contents of the living room and half a dozen wardrobes at them and they still didnt break.

Russell kicked a goal to narrow it to 19-15, but they needed more. And more still when Pollard booted over a penalty to make it a seven-point gap and then another to make it a 10-point lead.

Wieses late score put a cruel look on the board for Scotland.