AS EVER, hope sprung eternal yesterday, and, as happens most times we embark for "Billy Williams' Cabbage Patch", these hopes were dashed on the rocks.
I think we got off lightly; had England been as good as some sections of the English press seems to think they are, and other sections think they should be, we would have been hammered. But, that said, I bet, at half-time, we had them worried.
Sadly, we didn't build on that excellent second quarter, during which, with a wee bit of luck, we might have scored another couple of tries and really given Stuart Lancaster some work to do during the break.
I could rail against Mr Poite's decision to only punish Dan Cole with a penalty for that stupid rush round that ruck on the English line. (As a former front-rower, I have long objected to our portrayal as a wee bit neanderthal, when we all know we are the intellectuals of rugby - Cole, in that instant, set our cause back badly).
Had Cole been yellow-carded, things might have been different. I also felt, again, we didn't get the breaks from the ref. I disagree with that final England penalty against Geoff Cross, but, the match was lost by then anyway.
No, we lost it because, once again, it was shown: we tend to make more errors under pressure, too-often our hands let us down,
We lost, because, our first-up defence wasn't good enough.
We lost, because, we didn't get enough of the sort of front-foot, go-forward ball our back division needs.
We lost, because, we lack the depth, the squad strength which England enjoys.
But, we can and will improve; this is, in international terms, a very young and inexperienced Scotland team.
I watched yesterday's game in an Ayr pub-restaurant, after a very-enjoyable, very boozy, lunch with a bunch of like-minded coffin dodgers. Therefore, I didn't have to endure the BBC Englandshire commentary.
Bliss, although, I have to admit - I do like Brian Moore. Like Jimmy Hill in football, he calls it as he sees it - yes, he's English and an England supporter, but, he does criticise them when he feels it is called for - unlike his erstwhile team-mate Jeremy Guscott, who, when England are playing, manages to make Jonathon Davies (watching Wales) seem non-partisan and myopic.
Moore might, just-about, have got over 1990, Guscott, I fear for him, never will.
WHILE most eyes were on Twickenham yesterday, up here, the BT Premiership rolled on. International calls, to the Under-20 game, meant one or two crucial games were called off, but, these will be settled over the next two Saturdays or so.
Glasgow Hawks will be very-much involved. On Saturday, they entrtain Stirling County at Old Anniesland, in what is pretty much, a one-off match to decide which club finishes second-bottom and goes into the promotion-relegation play-off.
County have a two-point advantage, but, a Hawks will will lift them above the Stirling team to safety. A County win, with a bonus point, guarantees them safety and will leave Hawks in second-bottom spot.
Hawks also have still to go to Currie, a match which has a bearing on the Championship Play-Offs, since, if Currie win, they will climb above Hawick and Gala into the fourth and final spot in the Play-Off semi-finals.
Also, depending on how Saturday's game at Old Anniesland finishes, Hawks may find, they need to win at Malleny Park to guarantee they avoid the play-offs; all of which means, there is still a lot to play for.
And, I still haven't mentioned the Melrose v Ayr match at the Greenyards on Saturday, which will sort-out which of these two clubs finishes second and bags a home semi-final in the Play-Offs.
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