Scotland have begun this century in much the same way that they began the last - under a long white cloud. For 96 years and in 24 meetings the All Blacks have not been beaten in this fixture and on Saturday, as a sunny afternoon turned into a chillier Edinburgh gloaming, Scottish hopes were once more extinguished.
For Ian McGeechan's team, defeat to a side that looks, despite England's feats in the past month, the best in the world this autumn, was no disgrace. But the last week has been a dreadful one for the coach. Defeats by Argentina and the All Blacks have sandwiched a hue and cry over the inclusion of the New Zealander Brendan Laney in the Scotland team a week after his arrival in the country.
McGeechan's claim after the game that Laney was "outstanding" was a trifle exaggerated. Laney was assured, no more, no less. His first touch was confident, fielding a high ball and drilling it into touch, and he helped stop a second-half try when he burrowed beneath Anton Oliver when the All Blacks captain battered a path over the try-line. But Derrick Lee, the full back dropped after the defeat by the Pumas, might have asked what all the fuss was about.
The choice of Chris Paterson as kicker was also questionable. When the wing scuffed a straightforward penalty from the New Zealand 22 just past the hour, the Scots sensed they were not going to turn the tide of history. A successful kick would have lifted them to within six points of the visitors. But from then the All Blacks rattled up 22 points without reply. A tight match became a rout.
Paterson does not kick for Edinburgh and the contrast between him and New Zealand's outhalf Andrew Mehrtens was stark. Every one of Mehrtens' eight kicks at goal bisected the posts.
Gregor Townsend's role at outhalf for Scotland will come under scrutiny - he had a poor game on Saturday and may have to return to the centre alongside the effective James McLaren to accommodate Gordon Ross, who was discarded after kicking 23 points against Tonga.
The Scots competed well in the lineout, and the tackling of McLaren and Andrew Mower was particularly ferocious. But during the game the Scots had to make 104 tackles and in the last quarter the All Blacks took advantage of an exhausted side. Tana Umaga crossed the line in a move that began with a quick throw by Mehrtens in the All Blacks 22; the replacement scrumhalf, Mark Robinson went over after a blindside dart from a lineout and in injury time Jonah Lomu completed the scoring from an attack that began with a scrum deep in the visitors' territory.
A cruel end, but for McGeechan things can only get better. Unless genealogists discover Laney's granny wasn't born in Glasgow.
SCOTLAND: Laney (Edinburgh); Steel, McLaren (both Glasgow), J Leslie (Norhampton; Henderson, Glasgow, 70min), Paterson (Edinburgh); Townsend (Castres), Nicol (Glasgow; Burns, Edinburgh, 61); Smith (Northampton; capt), G Bulloch (Glasgow; Scott, Edinburgh, 74), Stewart (Northampton; Graham, 48, Newcastle), S Murray (Saracens; Fullarton, Sale, 78), Grimes (Newcastle), White (Glasgow), Mower (Newcastle), Simpson (Glasgow; Taylor, Edinburgh, 49).
Scorers: Pens: Paterson 2.
NEW ZEALAND: MacDonald (Canterbury; Blair, Canterbury, 60); Howlett (Auckland), Umaga (Wellington), Mauger (Canterbury), Lomu (Wellington); Mehrtens (Canterbury), Kelleher (Otago; M Robinson, North Harbour, 33); Feek (Canterbury; Hewett, Canterbury, 60), Oliver (Otago, capt), Somerville, Jack, Maxwell, Thorne, McCaw, S Robinson (all Canterbury).
Scorers: Tries: Umaga, M Robinson, Lomu. Cons: Mehrtens 2. Penalties: Mehrtens 6.
Referee: P Deluca (Argentina).
