Stunning, simply stunning.

Mark down the date, for this was a performance and a result to write large in the history books. Scotland played with passion, pride and a kind of courage that defies any technical analysis. Statistically, they were barely in the game, but the scoreboard did not lie at the end.

And credit to Australia, too. The stereotype is that they can be less than magnanimous in victory at times, but they accepted defeat with good grace. They suffered wretched luck in the bounce of the ball, in the decision of the video official who chalked off an apparent try by captain Rocky Elsom, and in the fact that Matt Giteau, their goal-kicker, was woefully out of form. But at the finish they had nothing but praise for Scotland – nothing, that is, if you discount their obvious admiration.

There was a sense that Scotland were riding their luck in the early stages, but in the closing moments they played with staggering bravery and heart. As Australia hammered away at the home defence towards the end, taking the ball through 20 phases, the Scots held their nerve and their line.

Eventually, centre Ryan Cross muscled his way over from short range, bringing Australia back to within one point, but the hapless Giteau pulled the conversion wide and a mighty roar erupted round the stadium. It fell away when Al Kellock, who took over as captain when Chris Cusiter departed with a head knock in the 21st minute, got up to address the crowd. To Kellock’s immense credit, his first remark was to thank them for their support. Murrayfield was only two-thirds full, but the noise was stupendous. “We had a great crowd in, but we can’t expect them to lift us, we have to lift them,” Kellock said later. He added: “It’s a great result for us – it’s been 27 years since we beat them, so it’s huge.”

Scotland were far from flawless, but you can accommodate a shortcoming or two when your commitment is drawn from a bottomless well. That they took 50 minutes to mount an attack worthy of the name owed at least something to the handling problems they suffered early on, but they made the most of the little ball they had.

Just at the point when we expected Australia to start building their fourth-quarter fightback, Scotland churned through a series of rucks, dished up the ball on a plate to Chris Paterson and then watched as his dropped goal soared through the posts.

Heroes? Everywhere. Alex Grove tackled with menace beyond his tender years and with a force far greater than his 13 stone frame should realistically produce. Rory Lawson, drafted into the squad only on Friday, played magnificently after taking over from Cusiter at scrum-half. Ross Ford and Nathan Hines were wonderfully effective
at close quarters, refusing to be bullied by the powerful Australian pack. John Barclay was a thorn in the Wallabies’ flesh at the breakdown and Kellock’s value was not limited to his worth as a leader.

Yes, Scotland did enjoy the slices of good fortune that eluded Australia, but not to any ludicrous extent. “Some days, it’s going for you,” shrugged coach Andy Robinson. The most significant dollop of luck came when Phil Godman’s 57th-minute penalty rattled off the left-hand post and dropped over the bar. That put the Scots 
6-3 ahead; more significantly, it galvanised the crowd and there was a growing sense that something astonishing might be about to happen.

In a sense, something already had. Rarely can a side have created such a respectable half-time scoreline with as little of the ball as Scotland had seen. They reached the turn level at 
3-3, courtesy of a fifth-minute penalty by Giteau and 27th-minute response by Godman, but had been virtually blown out of the match in that time. At the interval, it was devilishly difficult to remember a single moment when Scotland had carried the ball into the Australian 22.

But points are what matter, a pragmatism that Robinson has hammered into his squad. Scotland were miserly in giving opportunities to Australia and masterful in making the most of their own. Statisticians may feel a sense of unease about the territory and possession figures the game threw up, but those with the game in their blood could only celebrate a magnificent sporting occasion.

Only a handful of the Scots who played yesterday were even born when their country last beat the Wallabies, in Brisbane in 1982. It has been a long, hard wait for the rest of us. At full-time, in that explosion of Murrayfield joy, it seemed almost worth it.

Scotland: R Lamont; S Lamont, A Grove, G Morrison (N De Luca, 40), S Danielli (C Paterson, 63); P Godman, C Cusiter (captain; R Lawson, 21); A Jacobsen, R Ford (D Hall, 77), M Low (K Traynor, 56), N Hines, A Kellock, A Strokosch (J White, 48), J Barclay, J Beattie (R Vernon, 63).

Australia: A Ashley-Cooper; P Hynes, R Cross, Q Cooper (J O’Connor, 74), D Mitchell; M Giteau, W Genia (L Burgess, 63); B Robinson (S Kepu, 17), S Moore (T Polota-Nau, 46), B Alexander, J Horwill, M Chisholm (D Mumm, 50), R Elsom (captain), G Smith, W Palu (R Brown, 66).

Referee: R Poite (France)