Four talking points from Scotland’s latest defeat by South Africa

It is a strange scenario where a defeated coach hails a 17-point loss as “one of their best performances” in recent times and the victorious coach claims he is “not very proud” of a victory where his side prevented dangerous opponents from scoring a try.

Perhaps that says more managing expectations and potential criticism from Gregor Townsend’s Scotland’s perspective, and Rassie Erasmus holding South Africa to different standards.

If it was true the final 32-15 scoreline flattered his double world champions, there were certainly moments when Scotland made the Springboks look eminently beatable, if they could only finish off some of their exhilarating attacking work.

Ultimately it was a ninth consecutive win for South Africa in meetings between the two since 2010, and another missed opportunity for Scotland to beat one of the world’s top three sides under Townsend, but there were plenty of talking points to emerge from a compelling Murrayfield game.

The 20-minute red card – but was it even a yellow?

Scotland were already 5-0 down to Makazole Mapimpi’s early try when lock Scott Cummings was yellow-carded in the 11th minute for what was deemed a ‘croc-roll’ on Springboks second-row Franco Mostert.

There didn’t appear anything overly aggressive about the clear-out from Cummings, in tandem with Rory Darge, but TMO Ian Tempest advised on-field referee Christophe Ridley to take a second look. Cummings looked suitably bemused as he took his seat on the naughty step when Ridley decided it was worthy of a yellow card.

His mood – and that of the majority of the Murrayfield crowd – changed to bewilderment and anger as Tual Trainini, the foul play review official in the ‘bunker’, informed referee Ridley that a heavier sanction was required in the 18th minute.

Townsend initially thought the officials had got the wrong player. “I thought Rory Darge had more come across his side and then there was another angle where Scott's movement did land on the leg of the player (Mostert) who was jackalling.

“But there were massive mitigating circumstances. Scott was there to clear a contact and the scrum-half popped up as he was clearing contact, which took Scott off his feet and he did land on the jackalling player's leg. But it's such a dynamic game and you're hitting those contacts at huge speed. I thought it was a very harsh red.”

Boks counterpart Rassie Erasmus sympathised with Townsend to a point, but was more upset his side had failed to take fuller advantage of Scotland being reduced to 14 men for 20 minutes.

Finn Russell kicked two penalties in that period to put Scotland 6-5 ahead before a fortuitous converted try for Thomas du Toit, after Scotland had stolen a South African lineout and the ball bounced loose, made it 12-6 to the Boks just before Max Williamson entered the fray to replace Cummings.

“It is so tough, sometimes it is an accident,” Erasmus said. “Luckily it wasn’t a total red card (for the rest of the game). I don’t think we scored a point when they were down to 14, that was the frustrating thing. Sometimes it is just bad luck. I don’t think any player goes out to do that stuff on purpose. I would feel frustrated (if I was Gregor).”

How far back do you go to find an offence once a try has been scored?

South Africa had stretched their lead to 19-9 after Mapimpi’s second try in the 35th minute, but Scotland were applying considerable pressure as half-time beckoned.

A scintillating attack, with Finn Russell and Sione Tuipulotu sending full-back Tom Jordan charging through a hole appeared to be the tonic the hosts needed when he fed supporting scrum-half Ben White for a rapturously received ‘try’.

But another intervention by the TMO, who had spotted a slight knock-on from Huw Jones several phases earlier, denied Scotland a morale-boosting score.

World Rugby widened the scope of the TMO’s remit in 2022 to include other infringements in the build-up to a try as well as foul play, but there appears to be confusion as to how far back that remit extends once a try has been scored.

“There was some skill execution that we have to improve but I also felt we had a bit of bad luck,” said Townsend, referring to Du Toit’s earlier try for South Africa and White’s effort that was chalked off for Jones’ knock-on three phases earlier.

“You'll have to remind me on the laws. I don't know whether you're supposed to go back more than two phases, but it was a knock-on. We can't get around that. But those are moments in a game - seven, 14 points - that would have put us in a better position.

“The players were obviously down at half-time having had that try chalked off. But what was pleasing was the response. I think for the next 20, 25 minutes, we were the better team. We were the ones who were putting them under pressure, getting penalties, getting good field position. So it didn't affect them, which was a real growth in this team.”

How much difference did South Africa’s ‘Bomb Squad’ really make?

From the moment Rassie Erasmus named his 23, with seven forwards including several of his first-choice pack on the bench, there was a suspicion South Africa’s greater power in reserve would settle the contest.

Lock RG Snyman was introduced at the start of the second half, while a new back row of Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi and Jasper Wiese, plus front-row trio Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch and Gerhard Steenekamp, arrived five minutes later.

But the next 20 minutes was Scotland’s best period of the game, with their own starting pack – plus Williamson - upping the ante, only for a couple of lost lineouts and a failure to finish off two line-breaks to undermine their efforts.

Russell’s fifth penalty on the hour did see the Scots close to 15-19, but it was only after impressive tighthead Zander Fagerson trooped off after 65 minutes – replaced by Northampton’s Elliott Millar-Mills – that the Boks really started to squeeze Scotland at the scrum, earning a series of late penalties.

Townsend praised the way his side performed against what he called “two South African packs who are up there with the best in the world”.

“We talked about their ‘Bomb Squad’ and I think when they've gone seven-one, the scorelines haven't changed when the seven have come on,” he said. “I think Ireland actually beat them in that period in the World Cup and it was 0-0 against New Zealand.

“We knew that there's an intimidation factor and a perception that you bring seven players on and they will change the game. But they also have to get up to the speed of playing Test rugby and I thought our players responded to that challenge well.

“Obviously some quality players came off the bench but for a period there, we were the ones getting penalties and getting gaps in their defence. I did feel it was going our way, but we needed to get to at least 22-22 (after Handre Pollard’s penalty made it 15-22) to take it into the last 10 minutes and see how that would turn out.

“But they got penalties from the scrum, we can't deny that. Their scrum was very impressive and that just kept them out ahead.”

‘Special’ Mapimpi is ‘one of the Boks family’

Springboks wing Makazole Mapimpi said in the week leading up to the Scotland game that he doesn’t think he will make it to the next Rugby World Cup in 2027.

“I’m not saying I won’t, but I don’t think so,” said the 34-year-old who scored South Africa’s first try in a World Cup final, in 2019, as he surveyed a new generation of wings with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie already established and others such as Lions flyer Edwill van der Merwe entering the mix.

Mapimpi may have copped a second-half yellow card at Murrayfield to put his side under pressure, but he had earlier shown his predatory instincts were still firmly intact as he collected his 31st and 32nd tries in his 46th Test, both from clever cross-kicks – one from Pollard and the second from Willie le Roux.

The veteran full-back, playing his 98th Test, also showed his class, and it is clear the emotional attachment Erasmus has to both players who have contributed greatly to their success will make it harder for him to dispense with them, when the time comes.

“Mapimpi is a special guy,” he said. “Sometimes it's tough, when you’ve got a guy like Edwill (van der Merwe) who hasn't really played a lot and was in camp with us, and another guy like (Lions full-back) Quan Horn.

“We're so close to getting Willie to his 100th match. We know what form Aphelele Fassi is in. He didn't play today. But as a team, we're a bit like a family as well. Mapimpi is one of us.

“There's certain guys knocking really hard on the door, and we know Cheslin (Kolbe) and Kurt-Lee (Arendse) are class. There’s a few other wingers that we could have brought on tour, but a three-week tour is maybe a bit different than an incoming tour, when we can have them five weeks in camp and they really learn our culture.

“As long as we can look after ‘Pimps’ and he scores tries and we can get Willie to his 100th Test match, there's sometimes some emotional connection with players, with the whole management team and coaching staff.

“When we have the opportunity, we try and make it special for them. It will be a sad day when Mapimpi is done, because he always produces.”