SO near, yet so far. By far the best performance against the All Blacks since 1990 in Auckland but, in the end, another heartbreaker and another in the long list of games where Scotland could have got that scalp they so desperately want – but didn't.

It would he harsh to see it as a chance missed but it was certainly could have been a win – it was an opportunity where Scotland so nearly shocked the rugby world; a valiant effort but, ultimately, not quite there.

You have got to give it to New Zealand. They are so clinical. One little lull in the Scotland performance and they picked up the scores that took them clear. For all that, it was a performance where there were so many positives for Scotland that it is hard to know where to start.

It was great theatre, one where the neutrals would have been hugely entertained and Scotland were very much in the game right to the end where they might have snatched a dramatic score to leave the result hanging on a conversion.

It was a game where Scotland played with oodles of ambition, they were always happy to challenge New Zealand in a running, handling game and proved that they have what it takes.

The key to the final result was that New Zealand took their chances while there were times when things that did not really go Scotland's way.

It was a performance that had everything. The defence in the first half was first class, with players really putting bodies on the line to stop them playing. What was really impressive, though, was that Scotland were never in damage limitation mode; they took the game to the All Blacks, they tried things and it so nearly came off.

New Zealand, though, are a team that have the knack of finding a way to squeeze out games like that. That is why they are the best team in the world and Scotland have never beaten them. They were not at their best because Scotland did not let them play at their best, but still came through.

They struggled at times because Scotland got in their faces and interrupted their flow and continuity. When they got their chances, though, they took them though Scotland came back strongly from 12 points down and so nearly snatched it.

You cannot fault anybody's effort, but for me, it was the game where Stuart Hogg really announced himself as one of the best players in the world. He made a statement "I am world class" and nobody, especially those in New Zealand would be quarrelling with him.

There were a lot of good performances – John Barclay was another who really stood out in a good back row, Huw Jones is a story scoring machine – but he stood out, a threat every time he had the ball and great under their high kicks as well.

For all that the result is disappointing, it has to give the guys massive confidence in the games to come, in particular going into next weekend when Australia visit Edinburgh. The Wallabies played a really tight game against England – if Scotland get close to that level again there is no reason they cannot beat them and winning two matches in this Autumn series would be a massive success.

I know Gregor Townsend as a player and coach and understand what he is trying to do. You can see in the attitude of the players the ambition that they are now bringing to the game and the way they play. The more they do it, the better they will get at it.

They know they have the backing of all the coaches, not just Townsend but the whole coaching panel. That gives them the freedom to really go for it and if little things don't quite work out they won't be blamed for it.

That no-fear mentality can take the team a long, long way. They were up against the best team in the world and showed they have the skill level to take them on and, for a lot of the game, better them.

They have another two years to hone all that skill and ambition into a style that can bring success at the 2019 World Cup, which is the ultimate goal. The reality is that if Scotland can push the best team. In the world as close as that, they need fear nobody. They will have earned massive respect from the Kiwis; it was a great day for Scottish rugby.