Room for improvement but Scotland heading in right direction
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In the topsy-turvy world of the Nations Championship, Saturday in Edinburgh was a 'home' game for Fiji and so the place was alive with costume and song, the rhythm of the Pacific Islands.
Then it fell fairly silent as the real home crowd - the vast, vast majority of the terrific 55,215 - witnessed Fiji monster Gregor Townsend's team at every turn - try-count, breakdown, physicality, athleticism.
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Fiji were outstanding in that first half and Scotland were in a hole.
It was a hole they dug themselves out of once Townsend brought in some heavy-hitters from the bench.
Pierre Schoeman, Scott Cummings, Sione Tuipulotu and Jamie Dobie accounted for four second-half tries between them. Not for the first time in the summer, the Scotland bench had a mighty impact.
Three games played - two wins and one defeat featuring a four-try bonus point against the under-strength world champions in Pretoria.
Second place in the northern table behind France before the autumn denouement.
Sixteen tries scored, 14 conceded. Forward steps, for sure.
If the players weren't in desperate need of a rest after a long season you'd love to see them go again in the coming weeks.
There's some momentum behind Scotland right now. Admittedly, those words have been written once or twice before in recent times without ever amounting to anything tangible.
But what exactly have we learned from these summer Tests?
Schoeman echoes Erasmus' sentiment
After the South Africa game, Rassie Erasmus said Scotland were a top-three nation in the world, presumably behind his own side and France.
With Rassie you never know what sort of agenda might lie behind his public comments - there's usually something - but it was an eyebrow-raiser nonetheless.
In the wake of Fiji, Schoeman - two tries this summer - went down a similar road when asked if he felt Scotland were closing the gap on the world's best sides.
"No, I don't feel we're closing the gap," he added. "I feel we are a top-three, top-five team in the world. We've proven that - Argentina away, France, England, we play [and beat] the top dogs.
"South Africa, Ireland, All Blacks, we haven't had too much love there. That's maybe the games we want to target, to go against the best. Just to go full toe-to-toe with them for a full 80-minute performance."
Top three is a big stretch, but there are moments in games when you think Scotland have it within them to lay the ghosts of Ireland and New Zealand to rest.
They'll get a crack at the Kiwis in the autumn and will play Ireland in the spring, both at Murrayfield.
As much as the Nations Championship has been a try-laden fun-fest, the real battle and barometer of progress remains the Six Nations.
Scotland are trending in the right direction but summer and autumn have always been an unreliable guide to their true worth.
Enjoy the quality of some of their rugby over the last three weeks, but put it in context, too. The Six Nations and World Cup remain where it's at.
Tuipulotu the standout again
When Scotland were in bother against Fiji, Townsend emptied his bench and on came captain Tuipulotu, among other high-impact operators. There are some outstanding 12s in the world game at the moment and he is as good as all of them and better than most of them.
He is influence on legs. Power, direction, leadership, intelligence, unrelenting work-rate, fitness levels through the roof. He just keeps going and going, Tuipulotu ties everything together - and he speaks brilliantly.
He scored Scotland's first try of the summer, against Argentina, and he was on the field in the final game when it all turned his side's way. He had an enormous hand in rescuing Saturday. An irresistible force at the heart of this team.
Hiddleston the breakthrough star
[Getty Images]Scotland are suddenly in rude health for hookers with Ewan Ashman, Gregor Hiddleston and the fast-improving tyro Seb Stephen dominating the scene. Stephen made an impressive debut against Fiji. Joe Roberts, from an impressive crop of under-20s, is one to watch.
Townsend's hookers in his Six Nations squad were Ashman, George Turner and Dave Cherry, so a great deal has changed in a short space of time. Hiddleston was utterly outstanding in the summer, particularly when coming on in Pretoria.
He is unrelentingly physical, but power is not his only trick. He can play, he has a high skillset, he has some rough edges but he is a fantastically exciting arrival.
Established order continues to change
Time was, and it wasn't that long ago, when the names Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe were nailed-on picks. Three Lions, three wonderfully talented players in different ways, three prodigious try-scorers.
Graham and Van der Merwe have been bypassed by Kyle Steyn, Dobie and Kyle Rowe, which would have seemed an outlandish prospect a year ago.
As it stands Rowe deserves to be in the team, on the wing or at 15 - even if it means Kinghorn misses out, as good as he is. The Toulouse man was given the summer off.
He'll return in the autumn with fire in his belly, no doubt. All of this is exactly what Townsend wants and needs. Competition for places is the lifeblood of any high-achieving squad.
Huw Jones, one of the greatest Scottish players in history, is in this space as well. Rory Hutchinson has slotted in seamlessly with Tuipulotu, while Stafford McDowall is in there fighting too.
Jones, a three-Test Lion last summer, is a forgotten man bound for France. Only a fool would write him off, but having him on the periphery is a sign of Townsend's options these days.
A herd of cattle
Scott Cummings could lay big claim to being Scotland's man of the summer, scoring against Argentina, making a big break and assisting Josh Bayliss against the Boks and then scoring again against Fiji.
He was always a superb lock but he's added to his game in a very significant way. His ball-carrying is of the highest class now. He eats up ground with his long stride. He's a complete lock forward coming into his best years.
Max Williamson was restored to the arena this summer after some difficult days with injury and form. He is a brute of a player - big, aggressive and influential - and young at 23. He's the same age as Alex Samuel, his Glasgow team-mate. Samuel is a monster as well.
Throw in Gregor Brown - a lock, a six, a seven, an eight, a player of massive importance - and that's arguably the most promising set of locks in the team's history.
Scotland have struggled in the 'nasty' department for too many years. Not in the second row they don't. Not anymore.
Room for improvement
The wins against France, England and Argentina and the excellent performance against the Boks show Scotland are inching forward, but the final bit of the journey from entertainers to consistent winners is the hardest part.
Schoeman spoke about the loss to South Africa and referenced some of the things the Boks did that day.
"I just think they put it in another gear and they found more energy and more hustle and that's what we spoke about as a group," he said.
"When things get tough, you have to go for that third, fourth, fifth gear and then show some appetite to hustle back when there's a line break.
"Just to kill the ball and slow things up to get settled again. So we've learned a lot, we see the tour as a success. It's really exciting for Scottish rugby and we have massive autumn games ahead, so we're excited."
He's been in this movie before, of course. Everybody has. The buzz is knowing Scotland are adding depth and improving, as well as not knowing what it all means further down the line.