In many eyes, Andy Robinson's reign as Scotland coach will always be defined by his last match in charge, that wretched and rudderless 21-15 defeat by Tonga at Pittodrie just less than a year ago.

In the press conference that followed it, Robinson looked a haunted figure, a coach as dead man walking. The following day he resigned.

Yet there was probably just as much to be taken from Robinson's first post-match media briefing, three years earlier, when he spoke in the aftermath of the 23-10 victory over Fiji that marked the start of his time in charge. Sensing some disquiet in the room as questions focused more on Scotland's rather mixed performance than what the scoreboard said at the end, a sudden flash of anger and frustration appeared in his eyes.

"There's an interesting feeling, a real interesting feeling here," Robinson began. "We should have smiles on our faces, but it looks a little bit doom and gloom at the moment. Let's enjoy the moment, enjoy the win, and look forward to next Saturday."

He had a point. The following weekend, Scotland beat the touring Australians 9-8, their first win over the Wallabies for almost 30 years, amid tumultuous scenes at Murrayfield. In the stands, it mattered little that day that Scotland had spent much of the second half within a few inches of their own try line or that victory had been secured only when Matt Giteau, the Australian goalkicker, hit a sclaffer's hook with his last-minute conversion attempt. Reservations that had lingered after the result against Fiji were blown to smithereens that day.

Just as they will be if Scotland, now under the watchful eye of Scott Johnson, can back up last weekend's 42-17 victory over Japan with any sort of win against South Africa at Murrayfield on Saturday. And the parallels are all the more inviting, given the nature of the Japan result. As emphatic as it was on the scoreboard, several questions were left on the ploughed-up pitch, just as they were four years ago at the start of Robinson's time in charge.

The most pressing of those concerned the defensive doziness that allowed Japan to snatch two third-quarter tries, slashing Scotland's lead to just one point on both occasions. Some allowance must be made for the fact that both scores came from swift counter-attacks, and that Scotland's concentration on attack in the second half found its ultimate justification on the scoreboard, but their vulnerability was still alarming.

Against that, their composure was reassuring. While some in the Murrayfield crowd may have been bracing themselves for one of those episodes where the wheels came off, Scotland actually buckled down quite nicely, refused to panic, and closed out impressively with a blast of tries in the final quarter. In terms of the top two inches, Scotland look to be in good shape at the moment.

And beneath that? Johnson said at the start of this autumn series that he had a plan for how he would deploy his squad over the course of three games, but stressed that it was not set in stone. Specifically, he made clear that form would have a bearing from one week to the next. In that regard, the performance of Tim Swinson, who was the outstanding player against Japan, has probably had the biggest impact on Johnson's thinking.

It had been assumed that Jim Hamilton and Richie Gray would still count as Johnson's first-choice lock partnership, and that he would want to send them out against South Africa next Sunday. That might still be the case, but the common supposition now is that Swinson has cemented himself into the side and that only one of those behemoths will come in. Gray, clearly, is a special talent, but it must be tempting to give Hamilton a blast after the Castres giant was unfairly yellow-carded against the Springboks in Nelspruit last June.

In truth, there is no overwhelming argument for making unforced changes anywhere else. It is likely that Johnson pondered the possibility of experimentation at fly-half, but Ruaridh Jackson played one of his best games for Scotland against Japan, and it would be a harsh call to leave him out. Similarly, Greig Laidlaw did little wrong at scrum-half, although his goal-kicking display fell some way short of international standard.

The absence of Euan Murray on account of his religious convictions is a blow, not least because he has earned solid respect and admiration from the South Africans on the strength - and you can take that literally - of his performances against them. But it causes no great dilemma, as the straightforward solution is there already in the squat shape of Geoff Cross, whose lack of game time for Edinburgh recently did not appear to compromise his display against Japan. Should Ryan Grant also drop out due to the head knock he suffered then Ally Dickinson showed on Saturday that he would be a worthy deputy too.

A more taxing issue for Johnson and his fellow coaches has been created by the hand injury that has already ruled Matt Scott out of the equation. Were he not also injured then Peter Horne would slot into the No.12 position, but the Glasgow centre is out for the season and there is no other ready-made replacement. Johnson is likely to bring either Sean Lamont or Max Evans into his midfield, although the arrival of either player would demand further changes in the backline.

Still, Johnson's snap assessment on Saturday evening that there had been "more good than bad" in Scotland's performance is a good platform to work off. A lot better than the alternative for sure.