KEY POINTS:
It's never easy gaining recognition as part of a losing team. Against the odds, Mike Blair has managed it.
The Scotland captain is on the shortlist for the IRB's Player of the Year. He sits on that list alongside Daniel Carter and Kiwis might wonder whether if the
Scottish halfback deserves to be there.
He does. Blair is the diamond amongst the coal. He is in the Ruan Pienaar mode of halfbacks, a runner with vision and a sense of adventure. Like Pienaar, he is deceptively strong and agile, capable of dodging and weaving like a pickpocket making his exit.
Put succinctly, he would walk into the All Black team. He's that good. Which is why the 27-year-old is also being whispered about as a possible captain of the British Lions next year.
The frontrunners are Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell but there is a tight bond between Blair and Lions coach Ian McGeechan.
McGeechan, as a former Scotland coach, knows all about Blair, having selected him in 2002. He has also seen Blair from the other side of the fence, as the Scottish captain was instrumental in Edinburgh's destruction of Wasps in the 2006 Heineken Cup.
McGeechan is Wasps' director of rugby and knows how dangerous Blair is if allowed to run; to get the ball and do what comes naturally.
Blair, though, is not thinking that far ahead. His thoughts last week went no further than this morning's game. Playing the All Blacks remains the ultimate test for Scotland.
As Blair himself was moved to note: ``We have never beaten the All Blacks home or away and with that there is an opportunity for this team to be the first to beat the All Blacks.
``It is something we are aware of and there is an opportunity for us. For long periods New Zealand have been in and around the best team in the world. That is something you have got to respect. There have been opportunities for us to get close to them in the past.
``We have just got to take our chances when we have them and maybe in the past we not been so good at taking those.'
There comes a point when the frustration of continued failure becomes too much. In a Scotland career spanning seven seasons, golden memories are few. Unexpected wins against England in 2006 and 2008 and one against France in 2006 are the highlights.
The World Cup last year was a case of could have, should have, with Scotland having Argentina in their sights in the quarter-final, only to come up short, losing 19-13.
With so few wins in the Scotland jersey, Blair could have been forgiven had he focused on his club career. Since 2004, when the Australian Mat Williams took over as Scotland coach, there has been a desire for all of Scotland's international players to play their club rugby for either Edinburgh or Glasgow. That desire is so strong there remains a strong suspicion that anyone choosing to play outside Scotland has a reduced chance of making the national side.
That leaves players having to make a choice, as the money on offer to play outside Scotland is significantly higher. Blair has had offers to move to England and the money would be life-changing.
But he has stayed loyal to Edinburgh, his city of birth and where he was schooled. His decision to re-sign in 2007 was dramatic. At the time, Edinburgh rugby was imploding. The club had been partly taken over by private enterprise but the relationship between the corporate backer and the Scottish Rugby Union broke down irretrievably.
It was tragic. The big stars were advised to run for the hills which is what Chris Paterson, Simon Taylor, Nathan Hines and Scott Murray did at their earliest convenience.
Worse still, the agreed deal to bring Stephen Larkham to Edinburgh collapsed.
Edinburgh were reeling but Blair stayed loyal and that stopped the exodus. A few years on, and the capital side are slowly recovering, having recently beaten Castres in the Heineken Cup.
Blair has been instrumental and his loyalty will not have gone unnoticed by the Lions hierarchy. Nor will a lively performance this morning.
