Malmed and tired at the end of another defeat of the six bruising nations against Ireland, this was an afternoon in which the pain and suffering of Scotland felt more mental than physical.
The sensation of torment and psychological scars was difficult to avoid since Ireland dominated in Murrayfield to claim an eleventh successive victory over the Scottish.
They remain firmly on the path of Grand Slam in their attempt to become the first team to win three successive titles of the six nations.
For Scotland, any notion of them challenging for cutlery still feels like an impossible dream. This was the day of the Marmot for Gregor Towsend and its players.
Scotland is now starting to sound like a broken album. Every year they claim to have learned from previous failures against Ireland. Every year, those words are crushed under a green fist.
Towsend's side was physically dominated by the Irish, unable to match his physical, as well as his speed and precision with the ball in his hand.
Ireland celebrates while Jack Conan gets the last of his four attempts in a 32-18 victory in Murrayfield
Duhan Van Der Merwe gives Scotland a ray of hope when playing just before halftime
Ben White gets a late attempt, but only serves as a comfort in a family history for Scotland
Especially in the first half, this was men against children. How many times have we said that about a team of Scotland in this element over the years?
Ireland led 17-0 after half an hour. Bullying to the Scots in front, winning all the collisions, advancing in the line of gain again and again, Ireland was fierce, while Scotland was weak.
He had echoes of the last two world glasses. In the end, this was as complete as anything witnessed in Yokohama or Paris.
It was a mauling. Scotland went to the side like an irrelevance for an Irish team that, already in the second week, looks like champions.
There had been talk that a Scottish victory would blow the open championship after England had defeated France on Saturday night.
Instead of opening it in torque, Scotland was impressed. On a day of shocks in other places, they could not make a Plymouth or a Queen's park.
They could not alter the chances, with this game working exactly in the same way that many others against Ireland have done so during Towsend's mandate.
Ireland was magnificently directed by his Captain Caelan Doris, who marked the pattern for everything in advance. Jamison Gibson-Park had a good game in Scrum-Half, but was eclipsed by half-backward partner Sam Pomentgast.
Winning only his fifth cap and playing his first test game outside the home, 21 -year -old pledge barely set a bad foot all afternoon in an excellent exhibition that oozed his composure.
Scotland lost to Finn Russell and Darcy Graham in the middle of the first half after a horrible shock of heads. But, at that time, the damage had already been done.
Even before Russell and Graham went out, Ireland's foot was in the throat of Scotland. Those 40 minutes of opening became a car accident for Towsend, one that we have seen too often against Ireland.
The final marker flattered Scotland at the end. They will go to Twickenham in the third round as a team with a bruised pride after men gave them their faces in green.
In the previous moments at the beginning, Murrayfield's multitude accelerated Sir Chris today while leaving to present the game's ball.
A six times Olympic champion and 11 times world champion, today he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer last year and the emotion inside the stadium was clear since supporters took the opportunity to greet a true icon of British sport.
Scotland hoped to use that emotion as fuel, but they couldn't get out of the blocks. Almost just from the beginning, Ireland was completely dominant.
The opening attempt occurred after eight minutes, and the young Pledge walked to Calvin Nash to score in the corner.
Nash had entered the team as a late replacement for the injured Mack Hansen and, when Arrentgast became 7-0, Ireland had the perfect beginning.
Scotland had been repeatedly penalized outside the game, with Ireland with three passages separated with a penalty advantage before they finally scored.
Nash almost had a second in 14 minutes while pursuing a kick in the corner, just for Duhan Van Der Merwe to be disbursed. He was awkward and unnecessary of Big Scotland's end, since there was no guarantee that Nash really would reach the ball.
Van Der Merwe went to the container for 10 minutes after Kiwi's referee, James Doceman, produced a yellow card. Scotland gave a relief sigh that there was no penalty, but they were shaken. They seemed scared for everything.
Ireland was relentless, its invariably fast and forceful ball speed. They were winning all physical collisions, with the slowness of Scotland summarized by several kicks charged in the first half.
When Russell and Graham collided with each other in a horrible shock of heads, Murrayfield's heart sank. A difficult job had become almost impossible without two of Scotland's key players in the attack.
Neither Russell nor Graham would reappear, with Russell initially passing a HIA only to be taken from the advice of the Scotland coaching staff, while Graham was taken in a neck by doctors after a long care.
This was now quickly becoming a disaster for Scotland. A horror show. However, even before the loss of Russell and Graham, they had barely fired in the attack.
There were seagulls flying around Murrayfield that had spent more time inside the Irish 22 than Scotland during the 20 minutes, with turbast adding a penalty to put the 10-0.
A feeling of inevitability had spread through the stadium. Scotland fans had seen this movie before. They knew that a spooky ending expected them while Ireland was faded with Scottish errors.
There was a second attempt when Doris crashed and the conversion of Pledge did 17-0 with only 30 minutes on the clock.
Bundee Aki flew from the Irish line and broke Blair Kinghorn. Scotland could not put anything. Even on the rare occasion they ventured in the Irish territory, Peter O'Mahony was there to turn the ball.
Scotland finally caused life on the middle time cusp when Van Merwe took a good discharge of Stafford McDowall and played on the corner thanks to an acrobatic finish.
Two Kinghorn penalties shortly after part time gave the brief impression that Scotland could be about to return and play in 17-11. Somehow we had a game could.
The crowd howled a yellow card to be shown in the center of Ireland Robbie Henshaw after a Scotland attack was frustrated by what seemed suspiciously like a deliberate blow, but did not occur.
With that, Scotland's career was executed. Any notion of a return was crushed when Kinghorn fell from a Tackle and allowed James Lowe to have power to score.
At this point, O'Mahony had said goodbye. In his last Hurra in Murrayfield, this Irish rugby warrior could take an early cut. The work was done.
The excellent Gibson-Park was the architect of Ireland's fourth attempt, receiving a quick penalty and interpreting an ingenious inverse about his head so that Hugo Keenan clings.
Jack Conan finally landed, with the lost conversion of Paket almost the first time he had done something wrong all afternoon.
Scotland claimed a late comfort through Ben White, but, at that time, they were only putting lipstick in a pig.