Van der Merwe and Kinghorn shine again only for the Scots to be bullied out of fifth successive Calcutta Cup victory

They must be sick of this. Not losing to England necessarily – this is the first time they have done that since 2020, after all – but sick of running rings around opponents for large stretches of a match and failing to come away with the win. Of promising that this might be their time at last and failing to follow through with anything tangible.

Anyone who loves rugby loves this Scotland team. And yet what does that consolation serve than to make the pain of another championship gone all the more acute.