Gritty Scotland again left with frustrations against South Africa as controversial history made at Murrayfield

This was Gregor Townsend’s 85th Test in charge of Scotland and the head coach was rightly proud of the way his team stood up to the best team in the world.

They matched South Africa for long stretches but ultimately fell frustratingly short, unable to harvest a try from a sustained period of dominance midway through the second half when they had the Springboks rocked back on their heels.

There was grit in abundance, most notably from Max Williamson who played for 50 minutes after Scott Cummings was shown a 20-minute red card in controversial circumstances. Tom Jordan also stood up in what was his first professional game starting at full-back. But South Africa are world champions for a reason and they were able to repel the Scots who couldn't quite execute with the accuracy they needed. Their defence was outstanding.

Scotland's Ben White had a try chalked off against South Africa. | SNS Group / SRU

The final scoreline of 32-15 to the visitors was cruel on Scotland but it was the Boks who scored the tries - four of them - through Makazole Mapimpi (two), Thomas du Toit and Jasper Wiese. Finn Russell kicked five penalties for the hosts but the Boks tryline remained unbreached for the second time in a row against Scotland and it was the Zombie/Rassie song that rang out at Murrayfield at full-time as the large contingent of visiting supporters found their voice.

There was much to admire in the way Townsend's side matched their opponents physically. The arrival of the much-vaunted Bomb Squad was supposed to turbo-charge the Boks early in the second half but it was Scotland who then enjoyed their best spell, successfully defusing the visitors' threat. Unfortunately, they couldn't quite break through in what was an engrossing Test match.

The also found themselves on the wrong side of referee Christophe Ridley and his assistants and a key moment was the early departure of Cummings. It was a bit of history as the Glasgow lock became the first Scotland player to be on the receiving end of a 20-minute red card, a punishment which is being trialled in the Autumn Nations Series.

It was initially given as a yellow card for but upgraded on the say-so of the foul play review official, Tual Trainini of France, who deemed it to be a dangerous clear-out on Franco Mostert.

Scotland wanted a fast start but it was the visitors who struck first. Handre Pollard, immaculate at 10, kicked a penalty to the corner to put the Scots under pressure and the try soon followed. Pollard had his eye in and found the lurking Mapimpi with a perfect cross-kick. The winger gobbled up the opportunity, racing to the corner to score despite a desperate late lunge from Jordan.

The Scots had been caught too narrow and things worsened when Cummings was sent to the bin after 10 minutes. The hosts needed to regroup and they did thanks to Russell’s first penalty, awarded after Mostert obstructed a Scotland kick. But any sense of momentum appeared under threat when it was announced that Cummings’ offence had been upgraded to a 20-minute red card.

Russell steadied the ship with his second penalty and then Ewan Ashman knocked back Eben Etzebeth with in a mighty collision which roused the home support. Things were opening up and Russell tried a drop goal only for it to be charged down.

The Scotland players are clapped off by South Africa. | SNS Group / SRU

Unfortunately for Townsend’s side, their 6-5 lead lasted only eight minutes as South Africa plundered two more tries before half-time. The first was a strange affair. A Boks lineout was fumbled by Mostert and may have gone forward. Thomas du Toit didn’t hang around to find out, latching on to the ball and scoring while Scotland dithered.

Pollard’s conversion made it 12-6 to the visitors but Russell chipped away at the lead with his third penalty, just as Williamson came on as Cummings’ red-card ‘replacement’.

South Africa were the more inventive of the two teams and their third try bore a striking resemblance to the first. This time it was Willie le Roux who provided the kick-pass to Mapimpi who once again finished things off. Pollard added the extras to stretch the lead to 19-9 but then Scotland produced their best move of the game. Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu were involved, with the captain playing it to Jordan who switched it back inside to Ben White. The scrum-half ran in the try and Russell converted. Or so it seemed. A (very) late intervention by the TMO saw the score chalked off, much to the chagrin of the home support who made their feelings known as the match officials left the field at half-time. Jones had been the offender, knocking on as he took the ball into contact.

Russell’s fourth penalty early in the second half cut the Springboks' advantage to seven points and they responded by summoning the Bomb Squad. Much had been made of Rassie Erasmus’s decision to go with a seven-one bench split and it was quite a sight to see six beefy replacements coming on together in the 45th minute (RG Snyman had been subbed on at half-time).

Etzebeth, the skipper, was the one member of the pack who stayed on and he was involved in a bit of rough and tumble with Zander Fagerson. The temperature on the pitch was rising and Scotland were starting to simmer. They enjoyed their best spell of the game in the middle period of the second half and they had the world champions worried. Unfortunately, the hosts just lacked the required precision to make it count.

The marauding Tuipulotu burst through a ruck and Kinghorn took it on, hacking the ball through but the winger was a little too eager to engage with le Roux and was penalised. Matt Fagerson fumbled with Scotland close to the posts and then Jones’s pass to van der Merwe sailed over his team-mate’s head.

Makazole Mapimpi scores South Africa's first try against Scotland. | Getty Images

The centre atoned almost immediately with a brilliant pinballing run which took him to within five metres. South Africa were starting to creak and Mapimpi was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock on but Scotland couldn't break down the door. They were awarded another penalty, just in front of the posts, and after a long conflab, decided to take the three points through Russell.

That reduced the deficit to four points but that was as good as it got for the Scots who really needed a try from such a sustained period of pressure.

They couldn’t regain the momentum. Pollard kicked two more penalties to make it 25-15 and the Boks twisted the knife in the final minute when replacement back-rower Jasper Wiese reached over for their fourth try.

Scorers: Scotland: Pens: Russell 5. South Africa: Tries: Mapimpi 2, T du Toit, Wiese. Cons: Pollard 3. Pens: Pollard 2.

20-minute red card: Cummings (Scotland, 10min). Yellow card: Mapimpi (South Africa, 59min)

Scotland: T Jordan (S McDowall 72); B Kinghorn, H Jones, S Tuipulotu (capt) D van der Merwe; F Russell, B White (J Dobie 69); P Schoeman (R Sutherland 60), E Ashman (D Richardson 60), Z Fagerson (E Millar Mills 65), G Gilchrist, S Cummings (M Williamson 32), M Fagerson, R Darge (J Ritchie 60), J Dempsey (J Bayliss 63).

South Africa: W le Roux; C Moodie, L Am, A Esterhuizen, M Mapimpi; H Pollard, J Hendrikse (G Williams 69); O Nche (G Steenekamp 45), B Mbonambi (M Marx 45), T du Toit (V Koch 45), E Etzebeth, F Mostert (RG Snyman 40), M van Staden (S Kolisi 45), E Louw (P-S du Toit 45), K Smith (J Wiese 45).

Referee: Christophe Ridley (Eng).

Attendance: 67,000.