International Rugby Series: Scottish team versus All Blacks
Where: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Date: this weekend Time: 3:10 PM GMT
Things were simpler then. Match number four of the Scottish and New Zealand teams. A packed stadium, a 0-0 draw, winter of 1964. Celebration when the whistle blew. A pitch invasion to reflect the home team's momentous achievement.
Having beaten Ireland, Wales and England, the All Blacks had at last been stopped in a international match.
A contemporary reporter almost blew a gasket. "An unforgettable sporting spectacle," he announced excitedly with considerable hope. "Where Scottish rugby preserved British pride."
Exiting the ground after the match, Scottish fans would have had hope for the future. Multiple efforts to defeat the All Blacks and zero victories, but obvious indications that maybe one was not far off.
Three years later, New Zealand beat the Scots. Half a decade later, history repeated itself. Three years further on, same story. Five more years went by and, yes, you know the rest.
Twenty games since then later. Twenty All Black wins. Across New Zealand and beyond, from the Southern to Northern Hemisphere - locations have varied but not the outcomes.
In his time in the job, Gregor Townsend has ended losing runs in major European venues, but this is another level. This is 32 games across 120 years. Among rugby's most persistent curses.
In recent years the landslide 20, 30 and 40-point wins have reduced to eight points, five points and eight points in recent encounters, but New Zealand consistently prevail.
Via their excellence, their power, game management, they get the job done.
We're now at the point of the week where positive expectations that supporters maintained for a Scottish win is likely diminishing. Hope is colliding with history.
Thursday brought news that Fagerson was unavailable. To Scottish ambitions it was a significant setback.
The prop has been absent since spring, but he's a freak and had he been declared fit then his absence from play would not have been too worrying.
In an era when most props are replaced long before the hour-mark, his endurance stands out. No tighthead played nearly as many minutes in the Six Nations.
They're without Huw Jones but Rory Hutchinson is flying form with Northampton. Fagerson's replacement presents concerns. D'Arcy Rae is an admirable tighthead, his Test career consists of 73 minutes stretched across six years.
And when Rae is finished, his replacement takes over. While competent, evidence is lacking that he's All Black-beating class.
The coach has made unexpected selections, some logical, some curious. Steyn's tactical awareness replaces Duhan van der Merwe's more one-dimensional power.
The flanker selection is unconventional, Rory Darge starting on the bench. There's no Andy Onyeama-Christie in the 23.
Facing the Irish, New Zealand won the opening match of what they hope will be a Grand Slam tour. They started slowly, despite numerical advantage, but their final surge secured victory.
That and Ireland's defensive shape, offensive struggles, set-piece issues.
For all that their blasts at the end, the last 20 minutes is not where New Zealand typically dominates. Across international matches going back three years, they've accumulated scores in opening periods and fewer after halftime.
They've scored 39 in the first quarter, 48 in the second, 26 in the third and solid finishes. They start aggressively.
During their last meeting, New Zealand scored early in the opening seven minutes. Leading 14-0, victory seemed assured. Scotland recovered majestically to dominate temporarily.
The lesson here is that, figuratively speaking, Scotland needs sustained pressure from kickoff - maintaining intensity.
In recent years, the teams that have managed to beat New Zealand have required a points average in the upper twenties. Scotland have got into the 20s only twice in their past 13 games against the All Blacks.
Everything has to go right for Townsend's team. Absolutely everything. If they start butchering chances early on then forget it. Disciplinary issues? A high penalty count? Set-piece struggles? The game is lost.
But what if everything does go right? A blistering beginning. A raucous crowd. Electric atmosphere. Ruthlessness. Finn Russell's magic. Graham being Graham.
Fantasy rugby, perhaps. We haven't seen an 80 minutes from the Scottish team that would be good enough to beat the All Blacks. If it's in there, it's about time it came out; 120 years is enough of a wait.
A seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter in the Czech Republic and beyond.
