It was a masterpiece, a passage of rugby perfection towards the end of a monstrous Test match against the world champions in the altitude of Pretoria.

The epic sweep of Ben White’s try brought Scotland to within seven points of South Africa.

Before dealing with the defeat – as sore as any in their long list of near-misses – it’s no harm to dwell on that score because it was one of the great ones from a Scottish team, a move that lasted one minute and fifty seconds and involved 10 different players, all making inroads with their power, their timing, their footwork, their skill-set, all making good decisions in an absolute maelstrom.

White’s last act was his 12th involvement in that move. Gregor Hiddleston, the brilliant replacement hooker, got his hands on the ball five times. Max Williamson, another mighty bench man, had three significant carries.

Finn Russell, the totem in attack, didn’t touch it once. It was a try that illustrated the talent that exists across the span of this Scotland squad, not just where the acknowledged superstars reside. When it comes out of them, it’s irresistible and almost impossible to stop.

With 10 minutes to go, the momentum was theirs, somehow. They’d been 14-0 down and 35-14 down, but now they were full of menace.

Four tries scored – they hadn’t scored a single one in their previous two meetings with South Africa – and 28 points on the board – more points than they’d scored in 29 of their previous 30 games against the Boks – they came again with a vengeance.

With eight minutes left, Tom Jordan put boot to ball in an attempt to find Kyle Steyn on the right wing. The logic was understandable given that Steyn is one of the finest players in the world when the ball is in the air around him. And Steyn only had one Bok – Grant Williams – anywhere near him.

How Jordan would like to take that moment back, though. He had a six-on-two overlap at his mercy, but he went for the kick-pass, which was spilled by Steyn. Chance gone and game gone. So thrillingly close and yet so heartbreakingly far away.

Scotland’s capacity to get you out of your seat one minute and then have you cowering behind the couch the next is long-established. As a team they have sore heads from all the dunts they’re taking from that glass ceiling.

Pretoria was the latest chapter in the story of a team with exhilarating ability but also a destructive chink in their armour.

After Ben-Jason Dixon’s yellow card at the start of the second half – a head-on-head which could and probably should have been a red – Scotland left the Boks off the hook.

Their later heroics could not overcome their own sloppiness.

In quick succession, and after wondrous attacking, Ewan Ashman was held up over the line, Jack Dempsey spilled a pass inside the Bok 22 and then Ashman knocked on at the back of a maul.

That error led to Elrigh Louw making it 21-14. A flurry of penalties gave Damian Willemse the field position to make it 28-14. Another flurry of Scottish penalties and it was 35-14.

Twenty-one South African points conceded in eight minutes followed by 14 Scottish points scored in two minutes. That’s the light and shade of this Scotland team. They’re like a fighter in the ring, taking punishment but standing toe-to-toe and getting shots away regardless.

They had 11 visits to the South Africa 22 and averaged 2.5 points per visit. South Africa had eight entries and averaged 5.2 points. That speaks to the chances created and the chances not taken.

It also reflects that despite Scotland’s fantastic ability to score epic tries they concede too many times – six tries lost to the Boks, five to the Pumas, six to the Irish, six to the French.

They won two of those games, but 50% is not where they want to be, it’s not the return of a champion team. They are great entertainers when they need to be the great executioners.

Against the Boks, Scotland had more territory, more carries, more metres gained. They had 17 clean breaks to South Africa’s four, beat 47 defenders where South Africa beat only 19. The Boks missed 47 tackles and still won off 38% territory.

We don’t get to see inside the soul of rugby players on days like that, which is probably just as well. The pain of contributing so much and yet feeling so lousy at the end of it must be acute.

Scotland have never beaten South Africa in South Africa. Before Saturday, it was a dozen years since they last had a chance.

The new Nations Championship means that they won’t have to wait nearly as long for another opportunity, but for some in the Scotland team it might still be too long. For those guys, this was the moment, and it passed.

The Boks, it has to be said, were in full experimental mode. This was their second string, which made Scotland’s loss all the more angsty. When will they have a weakened South Africa on the ropes again?

There was no Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx or Thomas du Toit in the front-row, no Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager or Franco Mostert in the second-row, no Siya Kolisi or Jasper Wiese in the back-row. Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse were not involved. Neither were Canan Moodie, Damian de Allende, Mannie Libbok, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Andre Esterhuizen and Cobus Reinach. That’s over 950 Test caps missing.

There is, of course, no such thing as a poor Springbok team. They could field three or four world class outfits, all with the power to beat most other nations.

Rassie Erasmus is building depth for the next World Cup and this was another milestone in that process. Scotland threw everything at his understudies and they battled on to win. On current form, France are their only real danger in Australia next year.

It’s not cool to lavish praise on a losing team, but it’s hard to avoid it in this case. Praise and a bit of pity and some frustration, too.

As good as they are individually and collectively – Sione Tuipulotu is one of the best players and leaders in the global game – they still don’t have that precious commodity of finding a way to win consistently.

That mission continues, by parts engrossing and maddening. They’ve got Fiji on next at Murrayfield and even when Gregor Townsend makes the changes he has signalled they should win it comfortably.

Two victories and a four-try bonus point defeat would represent a strong first instalment of the Nations Championship. It would leave everybody wanting more, hoping against hope, as ever, that the great Scotland breakthrough is still possible.