Behinded and tired at the end of another defeat of six deadly nations against Ireland, it was an afternoon when the pain and the suffering of Scotland were more mental than it did physical.
The feeling of torment and psychological scars was difficult to avoid, because Ireland dominated Murrayfield to win a successive 11th victory over the Scottish.
They remain firmly on the right track for the Grand Slam in their attempt to become the first team to win three successive titles of six nations.
For Scotland, any notion of them is difficult for silverware always looks like a pipe dream. It was the day of the groundhog for Gregor Townsend and his players.
Scotland is now starting to look like a broken record. Each year, they claim to have learned previous failures against Ireland. Each year, these words are crushed under a green fist.
The Townsend team was physically dominated by the Irish, unable to match their physique as well as by their speed and precision with the ball in hand.
Ireland celebrates as Jack Conan marks the last of his four tests in a 32-18 victory in Murrayfield
Duhan Van der Merwe gives Scotland a glimmer of hope by approaching just before half-time
Ben White marks a late essay but it only serves to consolation in a familiar story of misfortune in Scotland
In the first half, in particular, they were men against the boys. How many times have we said that about a Scottish team in this match over the years?
Ireland led 17-0 after half an hour. Intimide the Scottish on the front, winning all the collisions, making their way on the gain line, Ireland was fierce while Scotland was weak.
He brought echoes of the last two World Cups. In the end, it was as complete as everything that was witness to Yokohama or Paris.
It was a mauling. Scotland has been scaled aside as a non-recorded by an Irish team which, already in the second week, has the appearance of the champions.
There was talk that a Scottish victory here would excite the Grand Championship after England beat France on Saturday evening.
Rather than opening it big, Scotland was blown away. One day of shocks elsewhere, they could not make a Plymouth or a Queen’s park.
They could not upset the chances, this game moving exactly the same way as so many others against Ireland have done so on Townsend’s mandate.
Ireland was superbly led by their captain Caelan Doris, who has set the tone for everything in advance. Jamison Gibson-Park experienced a good game half of the scrum, but he was surpassed by the partner of half back Sam Prendergast.
Winning only his fifth hood and playing his first test match away from his home, Prendergast, 21, barely set foot all the afternoon in an excellent display that overturned the composure.
Scotland lost Finn Russell and Darcy Graham in the middle of the first half after a horrible head confrontation. But, at that time, the damage had already been caused.
Even before Russell and Graham trigger, the foot of Ireland was on the throat of Scotland. These 40 minutes open turned into a car accident for Townsend, the one we saw too often against Ireland.
The flattering final score of Scotland at the end. They will go to Twickenham in the third round as a team with pride bruised after having their backs handed by men in green.
In the moments preceding the kick -off, the crowd of Murrayfield has acclaimed to acclaim Sir Chris Hoy as he went out to present the match ball.
Olympic champion six times and 11 times world champion, Hoy received a diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer last year and that emotion inside the stadium was clear when the supporters took the opportunity to greet A real icon of British sport.
Scotland had hoped to use this emotion as a fuel, but they failed to get out of the blocks. Almost from the start, Ireland was completely dominant.
The opening test came after eight minutes, with a young prendergast by closing a largely passing pass in Calvin Nash to score in the area.
Nash had entered the team in late replacement of the injured Mack Hansen and, when Prendergast converted for 7-0, Ireland had the perfect start.
Scotland had been penalized several times for offside, Ireland having three separate passages more penalty before finally scoring.
Nash had almost a second at 14 minutes when he kicked around, only to be burst on the ground by Duhan Van der Merwe. He was clumsy and unnecessary of the big Scottish winger because there was no guarantee that Nash would really arrive at the ball.
Van der Merwe had left for 10 minutes after Kiwi referee, James Doleman, produced a yellow card. Scotland pushed a sigh of relief that there was no penalty test, but they were shaken. They seemed to be frightened by all this.
Ireland was relentless, their ball speed invariably fast and impactful. They won all the physical collisions, the slowness of Scotland summarized by several kicks loaded in the first half.
When Russell and Graham collided with each other in a horrible head confrontation, the heart of Murrayfield sank. Difficult work had just become almost impossible without two of the main stakeholders in Scotland in attack.
Neither Russell nor Graham reappeared, Russell, who initially passed a HIA only to then be shot on the advice of the staff of Scottish coaches, while Graham was transported in a neck splint by doctors after a long stop.
This was now quickly transformed into a disaster for Scotland. A horror show. However, even before the loss of Russell and Graham, they had barely fired a gunshot in attack.
There were flying seagulls around Murrayfield which had spent more time inside the Irish 22 than the Scotland during these 20 minutes of opening, Prendergast adding a penalty to do it 10-0.
A feeling of inevitability had spread through the stage. Fans of Scotland had already seen this film. They knew that a macabre end was waiting for them while Ireland feasted from Scottish errors.
A second try came when Doris crashed and the conversion of Prendergast was 17-0 with only 30 minutes on the clock.
Bundee Aki was avoided outside the Irish line and broke Blair Kinghorn. Scotland could do nothing. Even on the occasion of rare occasions, they ventured into Irish territory, Peter O’Mahony was there to return the ball.
Scotland finally sparked life at the dawn of half-time when Van der Merwe took on a good unloading of Stafford McDowall and approached in the area thanks to an acrobatic finish.
Two Kinghorn penalties shortly after half-time gave the brief impression that Scotland could be about to go back and make a match at 17-11. In one way or another, we had a match.
The crowd yelled for a yellow card to be shown in the center of Ireland Robbie Henshaw after an attack in Scotland was thwarted by what looked like a deliberate hand, but it was not given.
With that, Scotland’s race took place. Any notion of return was crushed when Kinghorn fell from a tackle and allowed James Lowe to start scoring.
At this point, O’Mahony had taken leave. During his last Hourra in Murrayfield, this warrior of Irish rugby could take an early cup. The work has been done.
The excellent Gibson-Park was the architect of the fourth test of Ireland, taking a quick penalty and playing an intelligent inverted kick on his head for the back Hugo Keenan to hang on.
Jack Conan finally attracted, with the missed conversion of Prendergast almost the first time he had done something bad all afternoon.
Scotland claimed late consolation by Ben White, but, at that time, they only put lipstick on a pig.