You didn't need to hear the Scotland coach speak in the aftermath of the loss to the All Blacks on Sunday to know about his frustration - the angst was written all over his face.

We'd seen versions of that look before - after the soul-destroying 2018 loss to Wales in Cardiff, after the defeats to Ireland and Japan at the World Cup in 2019, after the narrow and entirely self-inflicted disappointment against Wales in Edinburgh in 2021 - but, if anything, Sunday was worse than all of those.

Townsend's demeanour was that of a man who suspected he'd never have another shot at beating the All Blacks and, even if he does, it's likely he'll never have a better chance of beating them.

For large parts of this they brought a brilliant chaos to proceedings and had New Zealand in trouble. Finn Russell, flat to the gain line, ran the show in Scotland's best moments.

He was slick and inventive and brought his most dangerous runners, Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham, into it repeatedly. Not bad for a fourth-choice 10. His class would have been visible to the man on the moon.

Russell made those around him better. There was a vast checklist of things that Townsend would have wanted to happen and most of them did after those early New Zealand tries. Scotland had huge aggression, significant ball-carriers and vastly improved discipline. They looked so dangerous.

Twenty-three unanswered points against the All Blacks? How many teams have done that before? In the last dozen meetings going back 26 years Scotland haven't scored 23 points in 80 minutes, not to mind in the 52 minutes it took them here.

After ending the run of failure at Twickenham, Stade de France and in Wales, this would have been the biggest victory of the lot. An end to 117 winless years against the All Blacks.

The what-might-have-beens were all visible on Townsend's face as he sat there in purgatory. Throw this one on the pile of missed opportunities in 2022. Wales in Cardiff, the Pumas in Argentina, Australia at Murrayfield.

Scotland played wondrously well from minute eight to around minute 60. They scored two tries. They might have had another had Jamie Ritchie not been pinged on the New Zealand line.

Or another when the brilliant Graham almost sneaked over in the corner, or another when Russell went for a grubber behind a narrow defence when a pass outside to Van der Merwe might well have done the trick. Or another when failing to execute from a solitary metre out just before the break.

All of that was in one half of rugby. It's impossible to know if Scotland have ever created as many golden chances against the All Blacks in a 40-minute spell, but it's highly unlikely. New Zealand were routed in every department bar the scoreboard.

There is no doubting the excellence of what Scotland did in establishing a nine-point lead after trailing by 14 but there's no doubting either that in failing to build a bigger advantage they left themselves open to a comeback.

Scotland's composure missing

New Zealand, a desperately poor version of most of the All Blacks that went before them at Murrayfield, didn't look capable of digging themselves out of the hole they were in, but in the back of the mind there was always the dread that they would. Somehow.

And that dread started to come to life right at the beginning of the final quarter. That's when this terrific game turned. The All Blacks had conceded 13 penalties up to that point and didn't concede another one after that.

Scotland's discipline was outstanding for an hour and then, as it slowly slipped away, they conceded six penalties in 20 minutes - a yellow card among them.

The New Zealand coach, Ian Foster, and their captain, Sam Whitelock, were asked what was the difference in the end, "Composure," they said. The All Blacks found it, Scotland lost it.

They found it largely through their bench. In Codie Taylor, Rieko Ioane, TJ Perenara and Shannon Frizell the visitors had game-changers ready to feed on Scotland's errors. Scotland got nothing like the same lift from their replacements.

When you've been watching New Zealand for as long as some in the Murrayfield crowd have been watching them, you become acutely aware of signs of a momentum shift.

After 64 minutes, Perenara put up a box kick which Stuart Hogg, who had done some excellent things, spilled in the air. That, in truth, was the beginning of the end for Scotland.

New Zealand went downfield in 13 phases and by the time Scotland got it back again their lead was gone - and so was Jack Dempsey. His yellow card might have been on the harsh side, but he had no need to make that play and run that risk.

Scotland's defensive line was solid enough. In sticking out a paw in an attempt to intercept a pass from Frizell to Ioane he gambled with dire consequences. The knock-on, the ill-advised decision-making. Fine margins.

New Zealand led by a point. WP Nel gave away a scrum penalty in the 69th minute. Graham gave away a penalty on the floor in the 74th minute.

Again, Scotland never got the ball back again until after Mark Telea scored to make it a two-score game. Scotland's race was run. They did well, but not well enough for long enough. Not many teams in history have beaten the All Blacks by putting in a 50-minute performance.

It's hard to get away from the despondency of a historic moment that passed them by, but what other option is there? They play Argentina on Saturday and the Pumas are a seriously formidable team.

They lost limply, and wholly uncharacteristically, to the Welsh at the weekend but this year they've already beaten New Zealand in New Zealand and England in England. They also walloped the Wallabies 48-17 and won a summer series against Scotland.

Townsend's team have lost seven of 11 Tests this year. A win against Argentina is a must, not just to finish 2022 on a positive note but to launch themselves into 2023 on the back of a heartening victory over a dangerous opponent.

Scottish rugby is full of men with regrets from their days playing New Zealand. The boys of 1964 and their 0-0 draw. The team of 1983 and the 25-25 draw. The Grand Slam winners of 1990 and the second Test that summer that they should have won. The 2017 vintage that went close. This is another team to the list. The near-miss brigade.

There will be a lifetime of asking themselves the what ifs, but they need not be in a rush to torment themselves in that way. Next Saturday is all that matters for now. Next Saturday and the push into 2023; a game they can influence rather than the ghost of a game they can do nothing about.