IT was a tour that achieved everything that could have been expected of it: a clean sweep of wins and a redemption in the minds of the Scottish rugby-supporting public who had seen their team climb back from the depths of despair and at last show the fighting spirit they expect from the players.
And yet, as we packed suitcases and began the process of heading away from the Pacific Islands, that line from Milton about preferring to reign in hell than serve in heaven started bouncing around the brain and just would not go away. Perhaps after two remarkable weeks of tropical bliss, it really was a case of tropical Paradise Lost; but also it had been such a successful tour, simply because Scotland had found their level, and it is not among the sport's elite.
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